


Teacher's Pet

by CoffeeDevil



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Modern AU, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-07-16 15:12:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 69,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7273171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeDevil/pseuds/CoffeeDevil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Professor Sebastian Michaelis has a one night stand before beginning his new job only to discover it was with a student (oops!). Things get doubly complicated when his creepy co-worker, Claude Faustus, starts playing them like chess pieces in his own game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Sunday, August 31**

**The Middle of Bum-Fuck Nowhere, Pennsylvania**

 

Music boomed through a darkened warehouse, the beat to a popular dance mix thrumming through the structure's ancient metal bones. The vibrating bass had long since shaken free any dust and was now working hard to rattle screws loose. A man with ghostly white skin and sin black hair loomed over his drink in a dark corner, watching the crowd of writhing bodies on the dance floor with intense distaste. Strobe lights assaulted his garnet red eyes and made it impossible to focus on any single person for long. He hoped the building would collapse soon so he could go home already. Or die. Anything to get away from the noise.

 _Damn Claude for dragging me here,_ Sebastian thought fiercely, frowning. 

He would start his new job in the morning and the last thing he needed was to show up late, exhausted, and hungover. Sebastian would have much preferred to stay at home and review tomorrow's lectures, but his new coworker had insisted on taking him out to get to know one another before the semester started. Sebastian had reluctantly agreed, telling himself he needed to make friends. 

He now remembered why he had no friends. Bloody nuisances. 

Claude had invited him to "this great place nearby." As it turned out, he and Claude had very different opinions about both "great" and "near." A two hour drive had landed them at a rave in a rundown warehouse outside the city, which was almost precisely the opposite of the close, cozy, quiet pub Sebastian had expected. Claude, the traitor, had abandoned him after one drink – not that they could have talked over the musical blasphemy defiling Sebastian's ears anyway. 

So there he stood, alone in the dark and grumbling into a questionable cocktail when a soft voice intruded: "Where's the funeral?" 

Sebastian glanced to his left, startled to find a fair-skinned, dark-haired boy leaning against the wall so close they were almost touching. The kid was staring pointedly at his professional black suit, clearly out of place in the sea of cheap college party clothes. His first thought was to demand how a child got in to a place like this and why he was holding a beer. Sebastian noticed upon closer examination that the boy's face was that of a teen, if not older. He was just very … petite. Taking in the boy's eyepatch, blousy shirt, and knee high boots, Sebastian responded, "On your pirate ship, Junior." 

Rather than getting offended, the boy just smirked and lifted his beer to concede the point. His lip curled in a clear expression of displeasure when he turned back to the seething mass on the dancefloor. Shaking his head, he took a short swig from his bottle. 

"I don't know what's worse," the boy mused aloud, "The music or this swill they're serving." 

Sebastian barely heard him over the sound of his ears attempting to secede from his body. He looked distastefully at his own beverage. After a brief war between the part of him that wanted to get blissfully intoxicated and the other that had _some_ standards, he pushed the foul thing away. 

"They are equally revolting, but at least I can choose not to drink," Sebastian responded. He desperately wished for a Bourbon. And a chair. And some earplugs. In fact, as the song changed to something even more mechanical and screeching, he was beginning to seriously consider the possibility that this was hell. 

"Blah," the boy stated. He fished a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. "Wanna escape?" he offered. 

Sebastian had not smoked since high school, but suddenly found himself desperate to pick it back up. "Hell yes." He followed the young man outside and away from the door. Without saying a word, the two walked until they reached the tree line, a good fifty yards away. Delicate little fingers extended one white stick and blue Bic lighter. Sebastian snatched them with more force than he intended and puffed on his cigarette like his life depended on it, willing the nicotine to work. 

The two stood in silence for a few minutes, watching the ratty warehouse shake. Sebastian's ears rang slightly and he felt oddly deaf now that he was away from the speakers. The younger male leaned on a tree and even in the dim light, Sebastian could make out the brilliant blue of his single exposed eye. "I'm C, by the way." 

"C? Like, the letter?" 

"Yeah. I have a stupid-ass weird name so I just go by my initial. Don't even ask." Sebastian just nodded and stated his own name in return. "What brought you here, Sebastian?" C asked idly. 

"Friends," Sebastian spat venomously. 

"Tch, yeah. I know how that is. Fuckin' useless Alois dragged me out here and disappeared. I might just leave his ungrateful ass here if he doesn't answer my texts soon." C threw the stub of his spent cig down and crushed it with the low heel of his black leather boot. He folded his arms, the childish gesture making him look young again. 

Sebastian's eyebrows rose, uncomfortable at the thought of being alone with a child. Trying to gauge C's age, he casually ground his own cigarette butt out on a tree before asking, "So, what do you do when you're not suffering the cruel fate of your friend's bad taste?" 

C laughed. "I guess I'm working, mostly." He paused, considering, then looked up at Sebastian and added, "My great love is English. I spend most of my days on campus. U Penn, you know?" 

 _Oh!_ Sebastian thought, relieved. Not only was C an adult (if a young one), he was a fellow teacher. _Perhaps these wretched parties are some kind of strange faculty tradition_ , he thought, wondering how many more of his co-workers he might run into. "What a coincidence, I am just about to start the Philosophy courses there. Tomorrow is my first day." 

"No shit?" C looked down as his phone chirped and buzzed. "Finally," he muttered, digging it out and swiping up to read the text. "Looks like Loose 'Lois strikes again," he announced, shoving his phone back into his pocket. "He's got his own ride so it's time for me to blow this popsicle stand." 

"Congratulations," Sebastian offered, looking sourly at the building. "We just got here; I don't think my ride will be coming up for air any time soon." 

C nodded in sympathy then hesitated, eyeing the fine face and trim body next to him. "Hey, you want a ride? I'm going back into town. I'll drop you somewhere if it's not too far." 

"I live near University City. Is that too far?" 

"That's actually perfect. Come on." C took a few steps toward the field-turned-parking-lot before pausing to say, "You're not going to, like, kill me or anything, are you?" A dusting of humor coated his edge of worry as he as he suddenly realized how Sebastian's 6'2" frame dwarfed his own 5'6" height. 

"Hadn't planned on it," Sebastian replied lightly, hands folded meekly in front of him as he attempted to appear harmless. 

"Cool. I normally have a rule about giving strangers rides, but I'll make an exception because we're fellow Quakers," C allowed with a charming smile before turning back around and continuing to the cars. 

"How considerate of you," Sebastian remarked with genuine amusement. He followed C to the cluster of vehicles near the warehouse and nimbly folded himself into C's compact little silver car despite his great height. As an afterthought, he shot Claude a curt text announcing his departure. For the next two hours, they discussed C's passion of classic literature and bashed their friends' horrible taste. Sebastian found himself pleasantly surprised by the intelligent conversation. All his earlier thoughts of hating people were forgotten and he was beginning to enjoy C's company, perversely grateful to Claude for being the force behind their meeting. 

C yawned as he pulled up to the curb near Sebastian's apartment. " 'ere you are," he mumbled sleepily. 

"Thank you. Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee before heading home? I don't want you falling asleep on the road." 

C looked at him thoughtfully, finally saying, "Sure, but no coffee. It'll keep me up all night. Got any decent booze?" 

"Compared to where we just came from, definitely." 

"Sold." C slammed the gearshift into park and clambered out of the car, leaving it parked illegally against the curb as he followed Sebastian up the walk and into the building's foyer. A short trek up a flight of stairs brought them to Sebastian's unit. C looked around the bland space curiously, noting the red brick accent wall, cream carpet and non-descript brown furniture. Aside from the rented furniture, the entire space was spotless and empty, completely barren of any knickknacks or wall art. With a snort of disbelief, C asked, "Do you always live like this?" 

Following his gaze, Sebastian answered, "No, not usually. I just haven't unpacked yet. Like I said earlier, tomorrow is my first day at U Penn. I only moved here from Virginia a few days ago." Sebastian shrugged off his suitcoat and tossed his phone and keys on the coffee table as they passed. 

C followed him over to a liquor cabinet and pointed at his selection when asked. The two downed their first drinks blissful silence. They refilled their glasses and migrated to the living room to sit. C's phone buzzed. He checked the display and smirked. 

"Alois?" Sebastian asked. 

"Yeah. 'Scuse me for a second." C answered the call and Sebastian heard an excited an excited string of words piping out, despite the device not being on speaker. Alois was apparently very excited about his hookup and in the mood to gush. 

" _Oh Em Gee!_ " He squealed. " _You won't believe the night I've had. The guy I picked up is so hot and tall and he ordered me around. The things he did to my ass! Man, I didn't know I could –_ " 

C slanted his royal blue eye to Sebastian's dark reddish-brown ones. Seeing from his amused expression that Sebastian could clearly hear Alois's trills, he interrupted before it got too graphic, "Hey, cool it. I'm not alone." 

" _Yeah, right,_ " the voice in the speaker scoffed. " _When's the last time your frigid ass got picked up? You're probably sitting at home groping your stupid books. You should be grateful you get to live vicariously through me._ " 

C rolled his eyes in exasperation, flushing slightly. "Whatever, I gotta go." 

" _Yeah, go on then. Look for 'implied sexual contact' in some dust trap or whatever you do to get off._ " 

C's cheeks burned, mortified that Sebastian was hearing this. 

Sebastian reached out and snatched the phone before the younger man could react. He rumbled in a rich, rolling tone, "There is nothing 'implied' in what we're doing." 

" _Holy shit!_ " came Alois's whisper. " _Your voice is hot._ " 

Sebastian chuckled darkly, putting on his best phone-sex voice. "You have no idea. I'm about to bend this pretty little boy over the table and make him scream. I'm going to defile him in ways you've never even heard of and he'll thank me for it. After tonight, you'll be living vicariously through him." 

Sebastian heard a hiss from the other end of the line, followed by an inarticulate: " _Uh, um, oh God. That's really … got room from one more?_ " 

With a throaty laugh, he intoned, "You wish," and hung up. 

C's mouth hung open. 

Smirking, Sebastian passed the phone back and said more normally, "You're welcome." 

C took it, laughing embarrassedly as heat flooded his cheeks … and other places. "Ha. Yeah. Wow. I guess you shut him up." 

"What are friends for?" 

C looked at him appraisingly for a second before asking, "Are you even gay?" 

Sebastian's faintly tipsy brain suddenly remembered that C was his co-worker and blanched. "Oh, damn. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. That was not appropriate at all." He cursed the Bourbon and could almost hear it laughing. 

"Nah, it was really cool of you, actually. I don't care if you are gay, by the way. I am." With a snort, he added, "And you've just spoken to the mess I hang out with, so no judgment here." 

Sebastian nodded, relieved he hadn't scared off the only human being in this wretched city that he could stand. _And a damn cute one, at that_ , the Bourbon reminded him with a pleasant tingle. 

With a wicked smile, C leaned in. He placed a small hand on Sebastian's thigh and asked, "Would you really do that to me?" 

Sebastian's eyes widened and he swallowed. Looking intently at C's delicate features and challenging gaze, he realized, yes, he would. Brain buzzing comfortably from his chatty Bourbon, he leaned in and cupped the smaller man's face. When there was no objection, he crushed their lips together. He pushed C down into the couch, licking and nibbling at his little pink lips until they parted and their tongues could tangle. He explored C's mouth greedily, mapping the pearly teeth and drinking down the taste of him. 

C's hands gripped Sebastian's neck and pulled his onyx hair. As they continued to kiss, C's hands roamed, gliding down Sebastian's chest and up his back, feeling him through his shirt. The small fingers tugged the back of the buttoned shirt and undershirt free from the waistband of his pants and slid underneath, ghosting against bare flesh. 

Sebastian shuddered involuntarily at the light touch. He ran his own fingers down C's neck to his collar and deftly flicked the buttons open. His mouth followed. He kissed down the side of C's face to his neck, licking the hollow and nibbling on pale collarbones. He pushed the shirt back to reveal a smooth, hairless chest and immediately darted his tongue over an enticing pink nipple. C cried out. Gently grazing his teeth over the hardening nub, Sebastian slid one hand up the opposite side to tease the other. 

"Hngh!" C grunted, arching. He balled his hands into Sebastian's hair, pulling hard in encouragement. 

Sebastian chuckled, continuing his exploration. He ran his teeth and lips over protruding ribs and a flat belly, pausing to lavish the slightly fuzzy navel with his tongue's attention. He stopped as he reached the waistband of C's pants, slipping his tongue under the band. 

C hissed, groaning, "God, I'm so hard." Sebastian knew the feeling intimately. Grabbing C around the waist, he lifted him, the smaller man's legs instinctively wrapping around Sebastian to keep from falling. "Where are we going?" he asked breathily between planting kisses on Sebastian's neck above his starched white collar. 

"I did promise a table," Sebastian responded. He laid C out gently on the dining table, pushing him down flat and running his hands over the younger man's bare chest. He unfastened C's jeans and pushed them down until they caught at the top of his knee-high boots. C's erection tented his underwear, straining for freedom. Without warning Sebastian wrapped his hot mouth around it through the fabric. 

C jumped, rising to his elbows. Sebastian chuckled, drenching the cotton with his saliva as he worked his tongue back and forth. C could feel himself coming unglued as he watched that devilishly handsome face lick and nuzzle his most sensitive area. All that stood between him and that wicked mouth was a thin sheet of wet fabric, but it felt like miles. The distance was unbearable. 

"Stop teasing me," C snapped. "Put it in your mouth." 

Sebastian's arousal twitched at the crude order. "So pushy," he murmured, still nibbling through the fabric. 

"Yes. Now suck my dick," C demanded, composure hanging on by a thread. 

"Yes, my lord," Sebastian drawled obediently, secretly enjoying the bossy treatment. He pushed the soaked underwear down to tangle with the boots and jeans at C's knees. Slowly, his red eyes fixed on C's one blue, Sebastian slid the rigid shaft of flesh into his mouth in one smooth movement, engulfing it completely. 

C threw his head back to scream, "God! Yes!" Sebastian chuckled, the vibration making C shudder. 

Unable to take the pressure building in his own pants, Sebastian freed his throbbing erection and worked it with his hand. His mouth swirled over C, tracing veins and ridges as he bobbed his head. With a small cry, C gripped Sebastian's hair and bucked his hips. Breaking his domineering façade for a moment, he looked down to check if this was okay. At Sebastian's nod, C began to fuck his mouth, panting heavily at the feel of the soft, wet heat. Soon, C slowed and gasped, "I'm close." 

Sebastian took back over. He wrapped his lips firmly around C's cock and went all out, bobbing like a piston and squeezing the base with one hand. He slid the other hand up to fondle the younger man's testicles as he worked. With a final grunt, C came into Sebastian's mouth. To C's surprise, Sebastian swallowed. 

C laid panting for a minute before sliding off the table. "Your turn." He pushed Sebastian roughly into a chair, suddenly realizing the other man was still fully clothed, save for his bared erection. C kicked off his boots and pants, letting his shirt fall onto the heap of discarded clothes before turning his attention to Sebastian, now fully nude except for his black eyepatch. 

Sebastian licked his lips. "You are so beau-" 

"Shut up," C ordered, clearly still wanting to be in control despite his undress. Sebastian smirked and acquiesced. Usually he was the one giving orders; it was novel to be on the receiving end. The irony of their petite origin made the experience all the more entertaining. Sebastian raised his hands to unbutton his own shirt, only to have them slapped away. Quirking an eyebrow, he settled back and waited. 

With feather light touches, C brushed his cool fingertips over Sebastian's engorged flesh, savoring the velvety softness. Slowly he knelt down and wrapped his hand around it, a small shiver working its way down his back when realized it was too thick for his fingers to meet. Sebastian tossed back his head and closed his eyes, giving himself over to the sensation. C's hot breath made him squirm. C flicked his tongue over the sensitive underside of Sebastian's head, rolling it around the raised rim before sliding the sensitive tip into his mouth. 

"Mmm," Sebastian groaned. 

"Quiet," C ordered, gripping the base of his cock firmly in admonishment. Sebastian bit his lip to keep quiet, enjoying the challenge. His breathing grew more and more rapid as C worked, going ragged. One small hand rested on his sensitive inner thigh, the other stroked and teased his shaft and balls. Sebastian smoothed his hand over C's hair encouragingly, noticing for the first time its unique slate gray-blue color, like a Russian Blue cat. The way C's small, naked body was pressed between his clothed thighs felt unbelievably naughty. Just thinking about it made his erection painfully hard. 

"C-close," he managed to pant, words having all but abandoned him. 

C nodded and squeezed, licking harder, head bobbing faster. He felt the muscles under his hand twitch and pulled back. Ropes of hot come splattered onto Ciel's smooth chest, the sight making Sebastian shudder and come harder than he thought possible. 

After a few panted breaths, Sebastian broke his silence. "Wait right here." Sebastian darted into the bathroom, returning neatly redressed and with a damp towel. He carefully lifted C from his knees and wiped him clean. The young man stayed patiently still, helpfully raising his arms to allow himself to be cleaned. When finished, C remarked playfully, "Not bad. I'm going to shower." 

Sebastian nodded and watched him go. Smirking, he cleaned up the mess they'd made in the dining room, fastidiously restoring everything to order as he vividly imagined what he would do with C next. He picked up the empty glasses from the coffee table and rinsed them out before returning them to the bar. 

 _I'll definitely have to write Claude a thank-you card_ , Sebastian thought suddenly. _Maybe the bastard did know what he was doing after all._  

Sebastian heard the water cut off and turned toward the bathroom door when it clicked open. C emerged with a towel wrapped around his waist, ashy hair now wet and black. He was still wearing the eyepatch, Sebastian noted curiously. He had originally thought it was part of the pirate-inspired get-up C had on. 

Catching Sebastian staring, C sneered. "Yeah, it's real." 

"I didn't say anything," Sebastian noted. 

"You had the look." C padded over to his pile of discarded clothes and immediately began redressing, sending a flash of disappointment through Sebastian. 

"You're welcome to stay," Sebastian offered. "It's two o'clock in the morning."

"Nah, I'm not big on cuddling," C answered. "Besides, I live close." 

Sebastian mischievously asked, "No round two? I'm afraid we didn't get to the defiling part yet." 

C laughed and picked up Sebastian's phone. "Here." He punched a few buttons and handed it back. "Here's my number. For future defiling," he added with a wink. Sebastian looked at his new contact, which read simply "C" and a phone number. 

"Still not giving me your name after what we just did?" 

C barked a laugh. "Hell no. It's going to take more than a blowjob for that. Besides, it's a boner-killing bad name. Terrible for hookups." 

Sebastian smiled in spite of himself. He texted his first name to C's number, secretly pleased to know the number was real when he heard the device buzz in the smaller man's pocket. "Now you've got mine, too." 

C flopped down into a chair to pull on his tall boots. "Cool. I'll give you a call some time tomorrow. We probably won't see each other much on campus, being in different departments and all – though I will be over in Cohen Hall in the morning." He looked up questioningly. 

"What a coincidence, that's where my first class is." Sebastian grinned. 

" _Well_ then," C said, pleased. He stood and grabbed his keys. "Guess I'll see you there."

 ----

The next morning went far from how Sebastian pictured it. 

He began by sleeping through his alarm, struggling to find parking, and (embarrassingly) getting lost on the damn huge campus. Thankfully, he had meant to arrive early so all those setbacks simply made him squeak in on time. 

The large, windowless lecture hall was full by the time he entered. The packed seats were lit dimly with most of the light concentrated on the front of the room where he would be lecturing with a slideshow. A quiet murmur of chatting students filled the space. 

Sebastian closed the heavy wooden door with a boom, startling the students into silence. Striding purposefully down the aisle from the back of the room toward the front where the teacher's desk was located, he began speaking: "Welcome to Philosophy 101. I am Professor Michaelis. In this class we will begin our study in ancient Greece with Plato and end with twentieth-century Existentialism. This course will only touch on the most basic parts of philosophy as it is an introduction, but I do encourage you to consider taking Philosophy 211, Ancient Moral Philosophy, for an interesting in-depth examination of Chinese and Egyptian philosophers." 

Finally at the front of the hall, he set his briefcase on the desk and popped it open. "I will be passing around a syllabus with the necessary reading lists and deadlines. If you do not already have your books, please purchase them before next class." He handed the huge stack of syllabi to the girl at the nearest end of the front row, instructing her to take one and pass them on. 

"Today we will be jumping straight into Plato's Theory of Forms." He clicked on the projector, removed his lecture notes from the case, and took his silenced phone out of his pocket. As Sebastian settled himself in at the central podium, he noticed the attendance roster poking out. He took a few steps to the other end of the shadowy front row and announced, "I'm sending the attendance around; please sign next to your name when it reaches you." He extended the roster to the dark form of a boy without looking. Sebastian turned back to the podium but paused as the boy cleared his throat with a pointed "A-hem." Choosing to ignore it, he resumed his lecture, clicking on the first slide. 

"This is Plato, the first of the three Greek philosophers we will be examining." Sebastian continued on about Plato, expanding upon his history and ideas. The room was filled with the scratching and typing of students taking notes as he spoke. When he got tired of talking, he asked, "And just to see who's already jumped into the reading, what was the name of Plato's teacher?" 

Most of the students bowed their heads or took a sudden interest in reviewing their notes, many sinking down in a laughable attempt to avoid getting called on. Only one hand was raised; it belonged to the boy on the end of the row. Shading his eyes from the spotlight for a better look, Sebastian pointed at the shadowy figure and said, "Yes, Mister … ?" 

"Phantomhive," a familiar voice drawled. Sebastian's throat closed. "Plato's teacher was Socrates," the boy continued, "though there is some debate that they were _more_ than just teacher and student." 

Stunned, Sebastian dropped his hand and looked down at his notes, silently mouthing, "Oh, fuck me." 

His phone lit up silently, displaying "1 message from C: **already did** ".


	2. Chapter 2

Sebastian finished his lecture in a daze, no longer trying to be interesting or engaging. He simply read from his prepared notes and dismissed the class early, reminding them to bring their text books next time.

As he stuffed his things back into his briefcase, he paused over the attendance roster. His eyes slid down the second-to-last name, "Phantomhive, Ciel." He popped it into the briefcase and turned to find C – _Ciel_ he corrected himself fiercely – still seated. The boy was dressed casually in dark jeans and a plain black t-shirt, black messenger bag by his feet. He also wore the black eyepatch from last night, though his bangs were combed mostly over it.

"Mister Phantomhive," he said warningly.

" _Mister_ Michaelis," Ciel mocked, eyebrow cocked.

"To my office, if you please," Sebastian said stiffly, gesturing him into the hall. Fortunately, Ciel had the brains not to try to talk in the hall. He followed Sebastian up a stairway and down a row of office doors in amused silence, entering the indicated room. It was almost as barren as the man's apartment had been, all white walls and nearly empty bookshelves.

Sebastian slowly closed the door and turned, a look of barely concealed fury on his face. His red eyes practically burned as he towered over the small student in front of him. "You," he stated calmly, "told me you were a teacher."

Ciel's amusement faded into surprise, then irritation. He bucked up to his full height to refute: " _I_ did no such thing. You _assumed_ I was a teacher. I thought you were another student."

Sebastian scoffed. "You said you were working at the university, teaching English. I told you I was teaching Philosophy."

Ciel glared up fiercely. "No, I said I was working. Period. And that I loved English. Period. And I spend most of my time on campus. Period. You're the one who said he was 'taking' Philosophy, not teaching it."

Sebastian lifted his finger and opened his mouth to argue, but no words came. He replayed their conversations in a new light and dropped his hand, face slackening. "Oh, hell." He wiped a hand over his face and trudged around the desk to slump in the cheap, school-issued chair. "I really fucked this one up, didn't I?"

Ciel shrugged, dropping into the guest seat across the desk. "What? It's just sex – and it wasn't even real sex, just blowjobs."

"It _was_ sex. With a student. Which won't happen again." A look of dread crossed Sebastian's face at the thought passing through his mind. Cringing, he asked, "Um, how old are you?"

Ciel snorted. "Relax, Pedo Bear, I'm legal. I turned eighteen a few months ago, I just look young."

"Eighteen _is_ young," Sebastian argued.

"You're the one who thought I was a damn teacher. How old are _you_ , anyway?"

"Thirty-two."

"Wow, you're almost twice my age. I would not have guessed you're so old."

"Thirty is not old," Sebastian sniffed, and mocked: " _You're the one who thought I was a damn student_."

"I so don't sound like that," Ciel grumbled, crossing his arms.

Sebastian smiled grimly. "Obviously, I appreciate you keeping this between us. In return, I can promise I will do the same; we can forget about the whole thing and move on. Naturally, I won't be offended if you want to drop my class. My colleague, Mr. Faustus, teaches a Philosophy 101 course later in the day and I'd be happy to adjust your schedule myself if you'd like."

Ciel laughed. "No deal."

"What?" Sebastian asked, surprised.

"You heard me; I reject your stupid proposal. Here's my counter offer: We go get a coffee, continue to screw, and I'll see you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in class."

"That … will not work."

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, it is the direct opposite of what I just said."

"Compromise is important in a relationship."

Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ciel, we don't have a relationship. That's what I'm trying to tell you here: we had a one night stand and we went separate ways, the end."

Ciel smirked. "No, I don't think _you_ understand: We have a relationship. It exists whether you want it to or not."

Sebastian quirked an eyebrow, trying to decide if that was a logical argument or something more. "Are you … threatening me?" he finally asked, intrigued.

"Are you stupid enough to need to ask?" Ciel challenged. "Either way, it doesn't matter. We have a relationship and I'm not letting you end it."

"Are you sure you're not a philosophy major?"

"Have you ever _read_ classic literature? I think that's all it is." At Sebastian's genuine laugh, Ciel asked, "See, I'm not terrible company. Would it be such a burden to spend time with me?"

Sebastian considered. He was amused at how the kid was trying to strong arm him (as pathetic as his little attempt was). And Ciel _was_ the only person he'd talked to for longer than five minutes without wanting to kill himself since he moved to this wretched city. That had to count for something. He drummed his fingers and thought about how much fun he could have playing with this kid. "It's not a good idea," he hedged, just to see what the boy would say.

Without missing a beat, Ciel rebutted, "Neither are Bourbon and smokes. You did both of them last night and I don't see you bitching about it today."

Sebastian laughed again, sealing his own fate. _What the hell,_ he thought. _Taming this brat will be an interesting challenge._ "Very well then. Just try to keep it to yourself, would you? The school will order me to leave if they find out."

"Agreed." With a deviously charming little look, Ciel added, "You are mine, Sebastian Michaelis; I'm the only one allowed to order you around."

Sebastian's lips quirked into a devilish smirk of his own. _We'll see about that, kid._

A knock sounded on the door. Before Sebastian could answer, Claude Faustus poked his head in. "Sebastian, I was just wondering where you ran off to last ni – Oh, you're not alone."

Sebastian looked at him with a politely blank face. "No, I am not."

"Sorry, I didn't know." Claude smirked, not sorry at all. He let himself into the room and stared curiously at the back of Ciel's head.

"That is why it is customary to _wait_ after knocking." With a wave of his hand, Sebastian introduced them. "Claude Faustus, this is Ciel Phantomhive, my student."

At his words, Ciel turned and extended a hand politely. When his eyes landed on Claude Faustus, he was momentarily taken aback by how closely the man resembled Sebastian. Both were tall and trim with pale skin and black hair, dressed in plain black suits. Once he was past his initial shock, though, he noticed Claude was slightly taller and slimmer than Sebastian. His pale skin had a warm yellow tone and his features held the faintest Oriental cast, possibly indicative of a distant heritage.

Claude's golden eyes lit up behind his rimless square glasses as he saw Ciel's pretty face and curious black eyepatch. He stepped forward and took the boy's hand, shaking it with interest. "It's always nice to see fresh young faces in the Philosophy department."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed at Claude's obvious fascination with his new toy. "Ciel is an English major; he's just taking Intro to Philosophy to fill a humanities requirement," he interjected. Ciel shot him a strange look but didn't say anything.

"Oh, that's too bad," Claude remarked, letting go of Ciel reluctantly. His long fingers trailed away slowly as if not wanting to leave. "I was hoping to drum up some bodies for a Reproductive Ethics course."

Ciel laughed uncomfortably, fighting the urge to wipe his hand on his jeans. Something about the way Claude looked at him made his hair stand on end. The strange tension between the two older men wasn't helping, either. "You're definitely barking up the wrong tree on that one, Mister Faustus. We're actually finished here; I was about to head out when you knocked." Ciel slung his messenger bag over his shoulder and slid around Claude. Looking back at Sebastian, he called, "See you later, _professor_."

Claude watched him leave, going so far as to lean into the hall until Ciel turned a corner. "My, my."

"Really, Faustus," Sebastian chided. "He's just a child."

Claude's lips turned up in the ghost of a smile and he seated himself comfortably in Ciel's vacated chair. "Ah, I see. For a moment there I thought he might have been the one you went home with last night."

Sebastian forced a laugh, and tried to sound dismissive. "Him? Don't you think he's a little young?"

Claude shrugged. "He's not that young – but he _is_ attractive. I don't know how you can do it, teaching him without losing your mind. If he were in my class … well, I don't think we'd be sitting on opposite sides of my desk during office hours, if you know what I mean."

"Faustus," Sebastian scoffed. "With a student? Certainly your Ethics courses have something to say about that, and I'm pretty sure it's not 'go for it.'"

Claude laughed faintly, "All right, all right, Saint Sebastian. And do call me Claude; we _are_ co-workers after all." At Sebastian's nod, he asked, "Who did you run off with, anyway? We weren't at that party more than half an hour before you scored."

"Oh … just some woman. We didn't give names."

"Ah, stranger sex. Classic. I would have pegged you as swinging the other way, though."

Sebastian almost told Claude that he swung _both_ ways, but decided against it at the last second. He didn't want the other man to grow suspicious of all the time he would soon be spending with Ciel. Instead, Sebastian looked at him with what he hoped was a mildly curious face and asked, "Is that so?"

Claude chuckled, "Well, I guess it was my own wishful thinking more than anything." Looking at his watch, Claude offered, "I know, why don't we go get an early lunch and talk about our conquests?"

Sebastian was searching for a reason to decline when his phone buzzed. "1 message from C: **@ corner waiting 4 my coffee date** ". Hiding his relief, he returned his phone to his pocked and said, "Sorry, I need to be somewhere. Raincheck?"

"Sure, sure." Claude waved his hand dismissively.

Sebastian left his briefcase in his office and made his way out of the building. A quick glance to either side revealed Ciel leaning against a light post, smoking despite the ban. Cautious of being seen, Sebastian strode purposefully past him without slowing, softly stating, "Follow me," when he was close enough to be heard.

Ciel, fortunately, was a quick study. He took one last drag of his cigarette, ground it out on the concrete, and followed at a fair distance, looking for all the world like he was doing nothing of the sort. Sebastian wound his way through the enormous campus until he was certain Claude would not happen across them. Only then did he slow and run his eyes over the building fronts, looking for somewhere that might serve coffee. With a laugh, he almost kicked himself. This was a college; the trick would be finding somewhere that _didn't_ have coffee in the morning.

Hands in his pockets, Ciel caught up to walk alongside him. "That one's good," he said, gesturing with an elbow. Sebastian nodded and turned to walk up the steps, holding the door for Ciel to enter. The boy marched up to the counter and ordered a triple mocha latte with double sugar and extra cream. Sebastian smirked and added a large black coffee to the order.

"That much sugar will stunt your growth," he chided.

"Bite. Me." Ciel stated firmly, picking up his foofy coffee and licking the cream tip obscenely. He turned on a heel and marched to the backmost corner table, far away from the front windows of the deep, narrow shop.

Sebastian chuckled as he paid. Lifting his own coffee, he followed. "I see you've selected us a fine table near the lavatory. _Très romantique_."

Ciel eyed him in amusement. "I was thinking we might need to duck in there. Once we _finish_."

Sebastian was intrigued in spite of himself. He opened his mouth to let fly an appropriately suggestive response, but all Ciel heard was a familiar, flamboyantly trilling "Cie-e-e- _el_!"

Stunned, Ciel looked into Sebastian's mouth, wondering at the grotesque ventriloquism. A second later the real Alois flung himself around Ciel's shoulders, dispelling the illusion. "Good, I caught you." Alois flicked his aqua blue eyes to Sebastian and offered a hasty, "Hi," before turning back to Ciel, "I really need your help with the Brit Lit paper Miss Annafellows just assigned. She wants us to present our topics at the end of the week and the only two things I know about British Literature are 'jack' and 'shit.'" Remembering he was in front of a stranger, Alois looked at Sebastian and offered a polite, "Sorry" for his language.

Smiling thinly, Sebastian looked between the two boys and decided that this blond thing wasn't going to leave any time soon. Playing with his new toy would have to wait. With a sigh, he lifted his coffee and stood, preparing to leave. "No worries. Mister Phantomhive and I were just wrapping up."

"O-o-o-h, _Mister_ Phantomhive," Alois teased.

"Shut it, Trancy. This is my Philosophy professor, Mister Michaelis. He was helping me plan my … oral presentation." Ciel gave Sebastian a meaningful look.

Abashed, Alois spurted, "Crap, I really am sorry then. I didn't know you were his teacher."

Looming over both boys, Sebastian stated, "No problem at all, Mister Trancy." Returning Ciel's pointed look, he rumbled, "See you later, Phantomhive."

Alois sank down into Sebastian's vacated chair and watched the tall man stride away, nodding to the barista in passing. "Hawt _damn_ ," he drawled, fanning himself dramatically.  "C, you gotta get me some of that."

Ciel barked a laugh, "Of what? That old guy?"

"Ciel," Alois said seriously, "the fact you can't see how gorgeous that man is tells me that you will without a doubt die old, alone, and sexually repressed."

"Oh, please," Ciel snorted, draining the last of his mocha.

"Don't you 'oh, please' me. His voice alone sent shivers down my back. I – hey," Alois paused, thinking. "C, um, have I met that guy before? His voice is familiar. Like, really familiar."

Ciel was thankful he'd already finished drinking, otherwise he was sure he would have sputtered. Instead, he scoffed, "How the hell should I know who you've met?"

Alois was staring hard after Sebastian's long-gone form, as if through force of will alone he could summon the man back. "Yeah, I guess. He just really …" Ciel looked at him skeptically. Suddenly, Alois fixed his gaze on Ciel and gasped. "Ci- _el_. That's not the guy who answered your phone last night, is it?"

Eyebrows in his hairline, Ciel screamed internally. _Alois, you observant little shit,_ he thought hotly. Hoping his 'damn, I'm busted' face could pass for disbelief, Ciel retorted, "Hell no, I didn't even meet that Michaelis guy until this morning. Does that stick-in-the-mud look like someone who'd hang around in a shitty rave with kids?"

Alois responded with a tinkling laugh. "Oh, Cee-Cee," he said fondly. "You'd be surprised at all the people I've met at a rave."

"I knew it, you just want to talk about your hookup," Ciel accused, glad to lead the topic away from Sebastian.

" _Guil_ -ty," Alois sing-songed. "He looked a lot like your teacher, only way more serious and with glasses. Tall, black hair, pale skin, and the most amazing gold eyes."

Ciel's eyebrows rose. _Surely he's not talking about Mr. Faustus? Though, it does make sense. Sebastian is new to town and probably doesn't know too many people. If Claude was at the rave, it's only logical he took Sebastian along._

Mistaking Ciel's suspicious look for one of disbelief, Alois raised a hand in a Boy Scout salute. "I'm dead serious, I swear. Gold. Like, I want to start a checklist of body parts I've slept with just so I can check that one off." Alois prattled on about their sexual adventure, making Ciel increasingly uncomfortable as he now pictured creepy Mr. Faustus's doing everything Alois described. He unconsciously wiped his hand on his jeans to remove the ghost of the man's touch.

Finally, Alois must have noticed Ciel's lack of enthusiasm because he stopped, pouting, "You know, it's no fun if you're not listening."

Ciel sighed. "Sorry, it's just … I think I met the guy you're talking about today."

Alois's eyes widened. "Really? Where?"

"Here. I mean, earlier at school, not here in the coffee shop."

"Weird, what makes you think so?"

Ciel couldn't tell Alois about how he suspected Faustus took Sebastian to the rave because no one is supposed to know they met there. Finally, he settled on embellishing his earlier lie. "He was talking to Professor Michaelis outside class when I asked for him for help. He looks just like you said – and there can't be too many tall, pale, black-haired men with gold eyes wondering around. Mr. Michaelis introduced him as Claude Faustus, another Philosophy professor."

If Ciel thought Alois's wide doe eyes couldn't get any bigger, he was wrong. "What!? He never said he was a teacher!" Ciel smirked, remembering the conversation he'd had himself about that topic thirty minutes ago. "That is so … hot. No wonder he's so bossy. I wanna sign up for one of his classes and see if he's always like that."

"What?" Ciel asked in disbelief.

" _What_ 'what?' You know I have an authority fetish. Bosses, teachers, bus drivers. If they're supposed to order me around, I get turned on."

Ciel crinkled his nose. "Bus drivers? You have got to raise your standards."

Alois flicked a loose straw wrapper at him. "You do you; I'll do me. I don't give you crap for being a frigid bitch."

"Yes you do. All the time."

"Okay, fine. Maybe I do, but it's only because I care." Alois batted his long golden eyelashes before saying, "Come on, your turn. Tell me all about what happened last night with Mr. Sexy Voice. I am _dying_ to know."

Ciel sniffed and checked the time on his phone. "You know I don't kiss and tell."

"That's because you don't ever _have_ anyone to kiss and tell _about_."

Ciel waggled a finger, "No, you just think I don't because you never believe me when I say I've got a date."

Alois pouted again, arguing circularly, "Maybe I never believe you because you never talk about it."

Laughing at his friend, Ciel grabbed his messenger bag, "Can't. Got Poli-Sci right now."

"Boo," Alois grumbled. "No fair."

Ciel smirked and tossed his hand up in a silent wave as he walked out.

Following that morning's adventure, Ciel's other classes were a breeze. At 6:15, he headed to the nearest library. While none of his classes had assigned homework yet, he did want to get a jump on the readings and long-term projects set out in the various syllabi as he knew work would eat up much of his needed study time. Predictably, the library was all but empty on the first day of term so he had his choice of seating. He selected one of the round tables meant for four and spread out comfortably.

Ciel was twenty pages into his first book when he realized he had chosen Philosophy without even thinking about it. He spared a brief thought to wonder if he was expressing some stupid subconscious desire about Sebastian. He immediately shrugged it off – or at least tried to. His mind suddenly brought up what Alois had said earlier, about how he was curious what Claude was like as a teacher.

_Sebastian was different in class_ , Ciel decided. _Calm, cool, and detached; nothing like he was last night._ He smirked at how Sebastian had brushed him off without a glance when he passed the roster. Rather, how _Mr. Michaelis_ had brushed him off. He had clearly gotten under _Sebastian's_ skin when he realized who Ciel was. _He's like Jekyll and Hyde,_ Ciel mused.

A throat cleared behind him, making Ciel jump. "We don't start chapter two until the end of next week. Do you delight in being a know-it-all?" Sebastian needled.

Ciel smirked, turning back to his book. "I do like to keep on top of things," he responded with pointed inflection.

Sebastian's eyes darted to the lone librarian at the circulation desk and carefully kept a straight face, speaking to the back of Ciel's head. "That sounds like a lot of work for such a young man. Wouldn't you rather sit back and enjoy the ride?"

"I'm not that kind of guy," Ciel said with a shrug. "I don't do anything if I won't end up on top."

Sebastian rumbled deeply in appreciation of where their wordplay was headed. "Is that so?" he asked with feigned polite interest. "I think I know just what you need. Come with me."

Ciel hastily shoved his books back into his bag in what he hoped wasn't too eager a manner and followed Sebastian to the nearby elevator. The older man pressed a button for Floor 4: Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion. They rode in silence, neither looking at the other. It was a game to see who would crack first. When the elevator opened, Ciel followed Sebastian into a small closet labeled as a "Faculty Studies" room.

As the lock clicked, Sebastian clicked as well - from ice cold to red hot. Ciel found himself plastered against the wall, Sebastian's hands on his waist and shoulder, Sebastian's mouth hot against his own. He was drowning in the spicy cent of cinnamon and cloves.

Ciel placed a hand on the back of Sebastian's head, running his fingers through the silky black strands. His other hand popped open the suitcoat's single button and slid against Sebastian's taut stomach through his dress shirt. He broke the kiss to nibble under Sebastian's chin, the day's faint stubble grazing his cheeks.

Sebastian groaned at the touch. "I've been thinking about this all day," he moaned. He could have been forgiven for what he'd done before he knew Ciel was his student, but now …. It was definitely wrong, and being bad felt so good. The thrill of rule-breaking sent pleasurable tingles down his spine.

"Me too," Ciel answered between nips. He pulled Sebastian's tie loose and started unbuttoning his collar to explore lower. Sebastian pulled back and slipped the tie over his head, making quick work of his shirt's buttons before Ciel could even protest. "My _God_ ," Ciel gasped as he caught sight of Sebastian's sculpted torso. "Are you even human?" He explored it with both hands, fingers bumping up and down over defined muscles.

Sebastian chuckled, flicking his belt and pants open and leaving them to hang loosely over his defined hipbones. "Are you sorry you didn't allow me to undress last night?"

"Fuck yes," Ciel breathed. He ran his mouth over Sebastian's abs, feeling them with his tongue. Ciel pushed the loose shirt completely off his shoulders and began working on one dusky nipple. Sebastian, meanwhile, wedged a thigh between Ciel's legs to rub against the boy's growing arousal. Ciel groaned, pushing hard to increase the friction.

Sebastian seized control and wrapped his long fingers into Ciel's slate gray hair, forcing his head back up for another scorching kiss. Ciel melted against the wall like jelly. Sebastian removed the boy's t-shirt and pushed his jeans and underwear down to his ankles faster than thought. A large, hot hand wrapped around Ciel's throbbing cock, eliciting a gasp and groan.

"I want to take you right here against this wall," Sebastian rumbled darkly, stroking slowly.

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing," Ciel panted back, bucking his hips and sliding his feet out of the tangle of clothes, kicking them into a corner.

"You sure are a mouthy little thing," Sebastian purred with a chuckle.

Ciel quirked a lip. "You have _no_ idea." Sliding one small foot behind the larger man's ankle, he pivoted them so that Sebastian was now trapped against the wall. His fingers wrapped around the waistband of Sebastian's remaining clothing and yanked it roughly down as he sank to his knees. The forcefulness of the crude motion made Sebastian shiver in delight. Ciel clutched his muscular thighs, little nails digging in as he head bobbed up and down Sebastian's thick shaft. The sight of the small mouth straining to contain his girth was almost too much.

Sebastian ran his hands encouragingly over Ciel's back, shoulders, and neck, brushing his fingertips through the fine hair on the back of the boy's head. Not breaking his rhythm, Ciel pulled a small bottle of lubricant from the messenger bag at Sebastian's feet and coated the fingers of his left hand. He reached between Sebastian's legs, rubbing his thumb over the perineum and circling a slicked finger over his tight hole. When Sebastian didn't object, Ciel slowly pushed it in.

Sebastian grunted at the slight burning sensation, but pushed encouragingly against the small hand. It wasn't his first choice, but it was clearly the only way Ciel would proceed, so he allowed it. Ciel swirled and rubbed while continuing to suck Sebastian's cock. He added a second finger, scissoring gently to stretch the opening. Crooking them slightly, Ciel pulled his fingers along the slick inner wall, listening for the hitch in Sebastian's breathing. When it came, he pushed his fingers back over the small spot again and again, driving the older man into a raspy pant.

"I won't last long if you keep doing that," Sebastian warned, eyes closed in pleasure.

Ciel pulled his mouth off Sebastian with a _pop_ to respond, "Good." He gripped Sebastian's cock with this right hand and began pumping in sync with the thrusts of his left, lowering his head to lick and suckle the sensitive tip encouragingly.

Sebastian shuddered with increasing intensity, finally gripping Ciel's shoulder in warning. Ciel wrapped his lips firmly around the head in his mouth, sucking Sebastian's release down. A small dribble of white rolled down the side of his chin as he pulled back. Sebastian knelt down and licked it clean.

Ciel couldn't decide if he was grossed out or turned on, so he ignored it and pushed the larger man down on all fours, dominating him with actions rather than words for once. He crawled to kneel behind him and rolled on a condom, wiping his oil-slicked fingers over it for more lubrication. He kicked Sebastian's legs farther apart to lower the giant to a more manageable angle and entered achingly slowly. Sebastian moaned softly. (They were in a library after all.) He met Ciel thrust for thrust, the pace quickening to a frantic rush.

"Nnngh," Ciel grunted quietly, chanting a broken, "Se-bas-ti-an" as he pounded. The flesh under his hands rippled as muscles bunched and flexed; a soft sheen of sweat making it glitter in the fluorescent lighting. He reached around to brush his oiled fingers over Sebastian's renewed arousal, making the man moan his name. After only a few rough pumps, Sebastian's inner walls pulsed as he came again, impossibly hot and tight around Ciel's cock. The coil of heat that had been building in Ciel's abdomen burst, flooding Sebastian with his warmth. Ciel collapsed down onto Sebastian's back, panting.

Sebastian chuckled, "Sounds like someone needs more cardio."

"Shut – _huff-huff_ – up." Ciel panted. After another half minute, he'd recovered enough to pull out. Ciel rolled to the side and grabbed his underwear, using them to clean himself off and wrap up the used latex. Sebastian just reclined on the floor, watching. Catching Sebastian's gaze, he hesitantly extended the dirty cloth. Sebastian shook his head, amused. Ciel shrugged and stuffed the sticky boxer-briefs into his bag, going commando as he redressed.

Sebastian reached one languid arm over to his own trousers' pocket and withdrew a soft white handkerchief. He unhurriedly wiped himself down and refolded it into a neat square.

"Grandpa," Ciel sniffed as he watched Sebastian put away the neatly folded cloth, suddenly self-conscious of the dirty underwear wadded up in his bag. Sebastian simply smirked and stood, stretching until his back popped. His pale flesh was unnaturally white under the fluorescent light.

"I know you're anti-cuddle, but what is your stance on food?" Sebastian asked as he clothed himself, the movements smooth and hypnotic.

Ciel's big, royal blue eye watched with interest as Sebastian's nimble fingers danced over his white buttons like a waltz before answering, "Pro Food. Adamantly 'yes' to anything involving food."

"Excellent. Why don't I meet you in my office in twenty minutes? We'll leave from there." Seeing Ciel's surprised look, he explained, "I did actually need to pick something up from the library, you know. It's not like I followed you here."

"Fine, but it's not a _date_." Ciel said the last word with disgust.

Sebastian's lip quirked. _So that was his problem._ "Of course not. Simply refueling for round two."

Ciel considered briefly before he nodded and opened the door. "See ya in twenty." And he was gone.

Sebastian carefully combed his hair with his fingers and straightened his tie, waiting a solid three minutes before exiting the small room just in case anyone was watching.

Ciel strode purposefully across College Green to Cohen Hall, the September evening's air a pleasant temperature on the exposed skin of his face and arms. He entered the Hall easily despite the late hour and made his way up to the offices.

_What number was it again?_ He wondered. _I'm pretty sure it was around that corner – nope. Damn._ Ciel did an about-face, staring hard at the hallway of numbered doors. He knew it was printed on Sebastian's syllabus in his bag, but he was determined to remember on his own. Walking intently back down the hall, he almost jumped out of his skin when a soft voice called his name. Ciel whipped around to find Claude Faustus leaning out into the hall from an office, watching him curiously.

"Oh! Mister Faustus?" he responded, heart pounding uncomfortably from the sudden rush of adrenaline. Trying to sound normal, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

Claude tilted his face from one side to the other, staring at Ciel like he was a bug trapped in a web. It made him feel strangely … uncomfortable. Finally, Claude stepped fully into the hall. His long, lean height was intimidating in such closed quarters. "I work here, Mister Phantomhive. I believe the question is what _you_ are doing in the faculty offices so late, hm?"

"I – uh, I mean –" _Pull it together, Phantomhive!_ He ordered himself fiercely. _You are a master of words. Act like it!_ "I was looking for my friend, but I think I made a wrong turn. This is the second floor, isn't it?"

Claude watched him expressionlessly, responding coldly, "No, it obviously is not. Do not waste my time with such uninteresting lies." The golden-eyed man stepped forward smoothly, stopping to lean his angular face inches from Ciel's round one. "Why don't you tell me the name of your … 'friend.'" The way he rolled that last word made it abundantly clear who he suspected Ciel was looking for.

Unfortunately, the one thing Claude did not know was how dangerous attempting to trap Ciel Phantomhive with words could be. Mind snapping to the challenge, Ciel cocked an eyebrow and answered, "Alois Trancy. My classmate. I believe you're acquainted."

Claude's expressionless façade cracked, eyebrows rising in surprise. Standing up straight, he asked politely, "I'm sorry, who?"

Smirking deviously, Ciel drawled, "Short, blond, easily excited."

"I have no idea what you could possibly be referring to," Claude sniffed stiffly. " _If_ you'll excuse me, I do have work to be getting on with." He backed away slowly, eyes locked on Ciel as if staring down a vicious dog.

Ciel grinned, baring tiny white teeth. He knew Claude was about to disappear behind his door and couldn't help grinding his metaphorical boot into this creep while he had the chance. "Really? He sure remembers you from last night."

Claude froze in his doorway, eyes narrowing dangerously. He hung there like a spider with one hand on either side of the frame before hissing quietly, "You must have me mistaken for someone else. I'd thank you to _not_ spread that rumor, if you please."

Scenting blood in the water, Ciel pushed forward. He lifted a thoughtful finger to his chin, musing aloud, "My, my. I don't remember them serving anything _that_ strong at that shit-hole of a rave. Surely you must remember something." Claude jerked as if struck, leading Ciel to an unexpectedly juicy realization. "Oh dear," Ciel mused in a tone of false concern, "what _is_ the school's drug testing policy, anyway?"

Claude seethed. Ciel delighted in watching his mind scamper around looking for a way out. Claude's face suddenly smoothed, eyeing Ciel in consideration. Ciel returned his look with one of mocking challenge, face stating clearer than words: "Bring it on."

Before either could utter a word, the sound of footsteps echoed in Ciel's ears. His single blue eye widened in horror. Sebastian. It had been almost twenty minutes and Sebastian was coming up the stairs to meet him … right in front of Claude.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ he kicked himself. _Damn my pride. I should have just let Claude go._

Claude's look of consideration melted smoothly into a grin of understanding. He stepped into the hall and gestured Ciel into his office. The words of a poem rose unbidden to Ciel's mind: _“Will you walk into my parlour?” said the Spider to the Fly_.

Ciel shook his head. His feet were rooted to the spot. Any second now, Sebastian would turn the corner and his game would be up.

Ignoring his protest, Claude's long, wiry arms wrapped around Ciel and dragged him back into his office, closing the door just as Ciel heard the stairway's heavy door creak open. He caught a brief glimpse of red lacquer, Chinese lanterns, and wall-hanging scrolls before Claude flicked off the light, leaving the office illuminated by only the bright moonlight filtering in the window. When Ciel attempted to cry out, Claude slapped a hand over his mouth, whispering sinisterly, "It would behoove you to remain silent right now."

Ciel glared at Claude briefly then turned his attention to the hallway just outside the wall he was pinned against. He heard Sebastian's footsteps pass, stopping one door down and across the hall. His eyes roamed sightlessly over the Oriental decorations of the office as he listened to Sebastian's footfalls. Once he was sure Sebastian wouldn't hear him, Ciel pushed Claude's hand off his face and spat quietly, "What the hell do you think you're _doing_?"

Grinning wickedly, Claude leaned down into Ciel's face again. He ran his nose lightly over Ciel's cheek, breathing in the scent of sex and Sebastian's cologne. "I think Sebastian's been a _bad boy_."

"You mean Mister Michealis? Please." Ciel said with as much scorn as he could muster. He pushed ineffectively at Claude's shoulders and demanded, "Let go of me, perv." When Ciel's phone buzzed in his pocket, Claude snatched it. The display read: "1 message from Sebastian: **Where are you?** ". Face triumphant, Claude wordlessly turned it so Ciel could read.

Ciel kept his expression hard. "There's more than one Sebastian in the world, you know."

Claude straightened up and laughed a full, genuine laugh, the sound unexpectedly musical. "Is that how we're going to play this?"

Imitating Claude's tone perfectly, Ciel parroted his earlier words: "I have no idea what you could possibly be referring to."

Claude's beautiful laugh rang out again, as clean and bright as a bell. "You are certainly an amusing one, Ciel." He handed the phone back. "Perhaps we could come to an understanding."

"I _understand_ that you are going to leave me the hell alone and I'll do you the favor of forgetting you even exist." Claude finally allowed Ciel to push him back a few steps so the boy could stand upright, glaring hard. His eye had finally adjusted to the bright moonlight filling the office.

"Ah, but where would the fun be in that?" Claude gently ran a finger down Ciel's cheek.

Ciel ignored the shiver it sent down his spine and slapped the hand away. "Don't touch me."

Amused, Claude sank down onto the edge of his rosewood desk, putting the long line of his body on display. "I admire your spirit, Ciel Phantomive. I tell you what; I'll make this easy on you. Spend one night with me and you'll never have to see me again."

Ciel laughed incredulously, asking sarcastically, "Oh, is that all?"

Claude smiled, a surprisingly dazzling expression on his usually stoic face. "That's all. I promise you'll enjoy it."

Ciel ran his eye over Claude. He was an attractive specimen, taller and more slender than Sebastian, though sharing a similar coloration. His face was more angular and masculine. Under normal circumstances Ciel would have been tempted, but he absolutely despised being bullied.

"No deal."

With a weary sigh, Claude said, "As you wish. I guess I'll simply have to call the dean at home to report my finding. Run along." Claude settled behind his desk and shooed Ciel away with a flick of the wrist.

"You wouldn't dare," Ciel argued stubbornly, crossing his arms.

Claude simply flipped through a school directory, holding one finger on the number he looked up and reaching for the desk phone with the other hand.

"You're insane." Ciel dropped his arms, looking shocked. "You know I'll tell them about you, too." He knew he sounded like a child but he didn't care.

Claude stopped with his hand on the phone and looked up as if surprised to see Ciel still there. He calmly asked, "Tell them _what_ exactly? That I had consensual sex with a legal adult who is not my student?"

Ciel shot daggers with his eye, hating how the situation was sliding out of his control. "Alois is a U Penn student; you are a U Penn teacher."

Claude lifted his hand from the phone to wag a finger at Ciel. "Tsk-tsk. Alois Trancy is _a_ student; not _my_ student. There's absolutely no rule against a professor sleeping with students from other departments. The problem comes when one sleeps with his _own_ students. Like Sebastian, that naughty boy."

Ciel ground his teeth. "If your earlier reaction is any indication, you'll light up a drug panel like a Christmas tree."

Claude grinned again. Ciel was irritated at how the man actually seemed to be enjoying his threats. "There is that, but honestly, how seriously do you think they'll take the word of a child who was caught screwing his teacher? I'm a respected, tenured professor. By the time they get around to doing anything, I'll be good and clean." He watched Ciel simmer with futile rage. "Still," he pondered aloud, "it would be inconvenient. If only there was some way we could avoid all this unpleasantness."

Ciel let out a frustrated breath. He should just walk away and let this mess take its course without him. He really should. Dragging his family name into a scandal would not only upset his own life but countless others that depend on him. However, that thought was immediately followed by the one pointing out that letting Sebastian get called out would by nature put him squarely in the spotlight, too. Ciel looked to the side and ground out, "Fine. I admit to nothing and don't give two shits about that Michaelis guy, but I don't want the headache you trying to rat on him would cause me. I'll spend one night with you and you don't report him to the school." As an afterthought, he added, "And no weird kinky shit. It's not worth that much to me."

Claude took his finger off the directory and slid around the desk. He placed a hand over his heart and swore, "You have my word."

Ciel took a deep breath and pulled out his phone. He shot Sebastian a quick message reading: " **Sry, had 2 go. TTYL.** " Claude's hands closed over Ciel's shoulders possessively as he returned the phone to his pocket. The poem he had remembered earlier circled through his thoughts.

 

_Up jumped the cunning spider, and fiercely held her fast._

_He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,_

_Within his little parlor; but she ne’er came out again!_


	3. Chapter 3

Ciel was surprised to discover two things:

1) Being with Claude had not been bad.  
2) Lying to Sebastian, however, had been.

In fact, point two turned out to be so unexpectedly difficult that Ciel avoided Sebastian altogether rather than deal with lying to him. He brushed Sebastian off all day Tuesday by claiming he needed to work. He stretched this separation into Wednesday, claiming he needed to do homework. He responded to texts slowly or not at all and let all calls ring through to voicemail. 

It was so much easier not to think about things when he didn't have to look Sebastian in the face or hear his voice.

Late Thursday night, Ciel sat hunched over his kitchen table, head in his hands. _Get it together, Phantomhive_ , he commanded himself. Y _ou only met the man a few days ago; it's not like you're dating or anything. Fuck, the guy almost booted you from his class. It's not like he cares about you._

But still … he had sent a lot of texts and voicemails for someone who didn't care. Strangely, the thought of how hurt Sebastian's face would look if he found out about Claude popped into Ciel's mind.

Ciel slumped back in his chair to stare sightlessly at the ceiling.

_You took one for the team_ , he told himself. _Sleeping with Claude got him off both our backs; Sebastian should be grateful. It's completely idiotic to feel guilty about it. Besides, it's over._ He told himself firmly. _One and done._ And he would never see Claude again. That was the deal. Claude had gotten what he wanted; Ciel had gotten what _he_ wanted. It was a simple business transaction, now complete. Ciel resolved to wipe it from his thoughts.

There was also the fact that if Sebastian didn't tell Ciel to go fuck himself on the spot, he might feel the need to confront Claude, which would end spectacularly badly on all fronts. If simply reporting Sebastian to the school would have been a headache for Ciel, the hoopla of fights and police and court AND reporting Sebastian to the school would certainly turn into a head-splitting migraine. He certainly didn't want his name dragged through the papers with that mess.

Ciel nodded, making up his mind. Sebastian could never know.

He spent the next few weeks ensuring just that. He showed up early every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with coffee, baked goods, or an interesting article to share. He made it his life's mission to keep the man on his toes. Ciel even grudgingly allowed Sebastian to drive him out of town so they could go out in public without worrying about another teacher or classmate seeing them together. It was the perfect distraction. Sebastian never asked about Ciel's brief hiatus and before he knew it, Ciel had forgotten all about his one night stand with Claude and was deep into what anyone else would call a relationship.

"Who are you and what have you done with my C?" Alois's annoying voice demanded from the ugly orange recliner across the small living room of Alois's apartment.

Comfortable on the couch, Ciel jerked and looked up from his phone to see the blond frowning at him as he sprawled lazily crossways over the seat and arms of the chair. "What?"

"Oh, God, it's worse than I thought," Alois started dramatically.

"What?" Ciel asked again, growing increasingly irritated.

"You're in l-u-u-u-v," Alois accused, voice echoing around the quiet space.

Ciel scoffed, "Please," and turned back to his phone. _Ciel Phantomhive does not do love_ , Ciel thought to himself. _Love makes people stupid._

" _You_ please! You're always staring at your phone with that stupid dopey grin. You never hang out with me anymore."

"We're hanging out right now."

Alois pouted. "You haven't even told me his name."

Ciel snorted. "And I'm not going to."

"So mean," Alois said, trembling his lip dramatically. "I tell you everything." His eyes lit up, suddenly remembering something. He flopped onto the couch next to Ciel to excitedly shout, "I think Claude's finally starting to notice me!"

Ciel barked a laugh and dropped his phone into his lap. "I think he'd be hard-pressed _not_ to, 'Lois. You've been harassing the poor bastard twenty-four-seven since I told you he worked at our school. Stalking his classes, following him around, visiting his office. Damn. Try to have a little dignity, would you?"

Alois grinned. "Who needs dignity? He already slept with me once; round two can't be too far off." The small blond wiggled with excitement.

"Unless it sucked," Ciel teased. "Maybe there's a reason he's avoiding you."

"Pft, please. It was amazing." Alois's smug expression faced into horror. "Oh shit, maybe he was amazing and I was horrible. Ciel, you've got to sleep with me right now and tell me if I've lost my touch."

Ciel smacked him across the face with a pillow. "No fucking way. Besides, I was kidding. He's probably just avoiding you because he knows you’re a student."

"You think?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure annoying the crap out him all the time doesn't help anything."

Alois frowned – and snatched Ciel's phone out of his lap without warning, clicking it on to read his texts.

"Hey!" Ciel grabbed at it, but Alois had already darted up and away.

"'PSM'?" Alois asked incredulously. "What the fuck is this shit?"

Ciel smirked. He had renamed Sebastian in his phone after Claude caught them texting. His foresight was already paying off in spades. "Initials, dumbass," Ciel taunted, taking his phone back without resistance.

"But, that's not _fair_ ," Alois whined, stomping his foot.

"You sure do say that a lot. Why don't you try fixing your problems instead of just whining about them?"

Alois folded his arms. "Fine. I will. I'm going to make it my life's work to find out who your secret boyfriend is."

Ciel tried really hard not to laugh. "Really? I thought your life's mission was to resurrect Freddy Mercury and make Queen a thing again."

"Well, _yeah_ , I'm gonna do that too, but a guy can have two missions at the same time you know."

"I see. And Operation Make Senpai Notice Me?"

"What?"

"Claude. You can't stalk him full-time if you're following me."

Alois stomped his foot like a spoiled child and snapped, "Shut up. It'll all work out; you'll see."

Ciel just laughed. "Sure, sure."

_Let the games begin._

\---

The next morning, Alois was in Ciel's Philosophy class, talking to Sebastian.

Ciel smirked. He had warned Sebastian last night that he would be postponing his morning visits for a while as Alois would be snooping around and he didn't want to give the other boy any clues. As expected, the bubbly blond was looking in all the wrong places.

Ciel watched his flamboyant friend prance and preen so close to the object of his search, never once realizing it. Alois's current target was the attendance roster in Sebastian's hand. He finally weaseled it out of Sebastian and hungrily devoured it with his eyes, searching for any student with the initials "PSM." His whole body crumpled when he was clearly unable to find one. He politely returned the paper with a murmur of thanks.

Ciel raised his brows mockingly at Alois as he walked out. Alois responded by sticking out his tongue.

Alois repeated this process all day. Before, after, and sometimes _during_ his own classes, he would hunt down Ciel. If Ciel was in a class, Alois would find a way to get the roster. If Ciel was talking to a student, Alois would run up for an introduction. He read name tags, rifled through belongings, and visited the registrar's office. At one point, he even dashed straight past Claude without so much as looking, making the older man pause and stare after him curiously.

After careful examination of all the facts, he caught up to Ciel as he was heading to the parking lot and announced, "Ha! I got it!"

Ciel stopped in his tracks, staring at Alois in disbelief. "You did?"

"Yep. Paula. Sarah. Murphy." Alois stated with relish.

"Who?"

"Uh, your _girlfriend_. Paula Murphy."

"I'm gay, you moron."

"Exactly. That's why it's so brilliant."

"You fucking retard."

"Seriously? You're saying you're not with her? But she's the only one here with those initials." Ciel just shook his head. "Fine, if it's not her, then who?"

"Nope. Like I said, I'm not telling." Ciel continued walking toward his car.

"Ugggh," Alois grumbled, stomping in a circle around Ciel like an angry satellite as they moved. "Fine. Be that way. I'm going to rub it in your face so hard when I do figure it out." Ciel just smiled and climbed into his car. Alois hopped in the passenger side.

"Uh, it's Wednesday. I'm going to work," Ciel reminded him.

"Yep, and I'm coming with you," Alois responded cheerfully.

"Why?"

"'Cause, silly, I haven't checked out your customers and coworkers yet," Alois explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Ciel side-eyed him, wondering how Claude had survived three weeks of this non-stop treatment without killing Alois. _To be fair,_ Ciel told himself, _Claude probably just ignored him and shut doors in his face. I'm stuck with him._ "Whatever," Ciel responded, resigned to his fate. "Just stay out of the way and don't get me in trouble."

"No _prom_ -is- _es_ ," Alois sing-songed.

They arrived at the little book store only minutes later. Ciel retrieved a black smock, complete with nametag, from the tiny backseat of his car and tied it on as he got out of the car. He was irrationally relieved to find it there; he swore the damn thing sometimes walked off on its own just to get him into trouble.

Despite his words, Alois was actually well-behaved (for Alois). Over the next few hours, he only talked to Ciel and his coworkers on breaks and only wedged introductions out of the few customers Ciel talked to.

"He's just _darling,_ yes he is," Mey-Rin cooed. The maroon-haired woman leaned on the counter, pig-tailed head propped in her hands, staring at Alois who was giggling with the last customer of the night across the store. Ciel spared a glance before making a rude noise and turning back to the bags he was stacking. Surprised, Mey-Rin turned to look at him. "Oh! So you're not dating him?"

Ciel sputtered. "W-what? Me and him? Hell no!"

Mey-Rin tilted her head quizzically. Her large, round glasses made the expression almost comical. "Really? But you've been acting so differently lately. You're happy all the time. When you brought him in I thought …" she trailed off.

Ciel rolled his eye. Was his mood really that obvious to everyone but him? "No," he explained, "I _am_ sleeping with someone, just not him. In fact, that's why he's here today; he's determined to find out who it is. And before you ask," he snapped, "I'm not telling you either, so butt out."

Undeterred by his gruff tone, Mey-Rin squealed, hopping from foot to foot in delight. "Secret love, that's so _romantic_ , yes it is!"

"Tch," Ciel scoffed. "Love. It's a bunch of damn trouble if you ask me." When the customer finally left, he snatched off his apron and told her, "I'm all done with the cleaning and counting. Do you mind locking up?" At her nod, he walked straight to the door. Alois caught sight of him and followed.

Back in the car, Ciel tossed his apron on the rear seat and willed it to stay there. "So, how did phase two of your observation go? Have you determined my gender preference yet?

"Har, har," Alois responded as Ciel started driving. "I've got some ideas but I'm not sharing them with you yet."

"Oh-ho," Ciel said. "Still stinging from Pamela-what's-her-name?"

"Paula," Alois grumbled. "And I'm not completely convinced you're not lying about her to throw me off track."

Ciel laughed. As dedicated and eerily observant as Alois could be, putting the pieces together was not his strong suit. Alois was a poor mastermind but a good friend, so he did a very un-Ciel Phantomhive-like thing and took pity. "All right, fine. I'll tell you."

Alois turned, shocked. "Tell me?"

"Yeah, you goof. It's clear you'll never leave me alone until you find out – and you'll _never_ figure it out on your own. So to save myself from years of torment, I'll spill. He –"

Alois clamped a hand over his mouth. "No. Don't you dare."

Ciel chanced a glance while driving, mumbling out a muffled "Wha? Thought oo wanna ta kno?"

Alois withdrew his hand. "I do. But you don't want to tell me. I promise I won't make your life miserable, but I _will_ figure it out on my own." He sniffed loftily. "It's a matter of pride now."

"Oh, okay. I wouldn't want to step on that glorious Trancy pride, now would I?"

"Damn considerate of you," Alois nodded and folded his arms, looking out the window. "Gives me more time for Operation Senpai, anyway."

Ciel's routine shifted back to normal after that day. Good to his word, Alois stopped dogging his every step and Ciel completely forgot about it until one Friday morning a few weeks later. He had just stepped out of the stairwell with an armful of coffee and donuts when a familiar cold voice caught his attention.

"Mister Phantomhive, a word?"

He looked up to see Claude Faustus leaning against the frame of his open door. Like always, the disturbingly attractive man was clad in a plain black suit and somehow managed to look anything but plain. He reminded Ciel of one of those bright, flashy carnivorous insects in the rainforest. The more they made you want to look, the faster you should turn and run the other way.

Ciel's eye shot down to Sebastian's office, two doors past Claude and on the other side of the hall. His door was thankfully closed. Ciel strode up, invading the tall man's personal space, and quietly hissed, "What?"

Claude's lip just turned up at one corner and he stepped into his office, trusting Ciel to follow. With a great sigh, Ciel stepped inside and set the food down on Claude's desk so he could fold his arms. When Claude just closed the door and stared at him, Ciel lifted a hand in an "I'm waiting" gesture.

Claude cleared his throat and clasped his hands behind his back. "If I remember correctly, you are acquainted with Alois Trancy?"

Ciel's face split into a grin, knowing where this was headed. "That would be putting it mildly, yes."

"Excellent. I need you to convince him to leave me alone."

Ciel threw back his head and laughed loudly. "You're on your own with that, buddy. I still haven't convinced him to leave _me_ alone."

Claude grimaced and put his hands on his hips. "That – _thing_ – is driving me crazy."

"Have you considered just giving in?" Ciel suggested. "He's only this single-minded when he's trying to get something; once he has it, he'll lose interest." With a shrug, he added, "It's not like you haven't already slept with him."

Claude frowned and looked at Ciel meaningfully as he said, "Unfortunately, my taste has since been spoiled."

Ciel felt a dull flush begin to creep up his neck as he realized the implied meaning of the words. The look of desire on Claude's face made Ciel feel the ghost of the man's hands sliding over his body. He swallowed and hardened his face, staring Claude firmly in the eye. "You promised I'd never see you again," he stated flatly, trying to keep emotion out of his voice.

Holding up a finger, Claude rebutted, "No, you rejected that deal. I promised I wouldn't report Sebastian to the college."

Ciel huffed, "Whatever. Alois is your problem; leave me out of it. I've got stuff to do." He snatched the cups and paper bag back up and walked toward the door, indicating that he would push past Claude if necessary.

Claude didn't move. Ciel stopped with the food crushed between them. He glared up into Claude's golden eyes, startled as always by their intense, almost metallic color. "Ciel," he purred sweetly, "you don't have a choice. I'm not asking you to do this; I'm telling you. You _will_ convince that obnoxious little menace to stay out of my sight."

Ciel frowned and stepped back to put some air between them. "Are you going to go back on our deal? Because that would be unbelievably crass."

Claude smiled, making Ciel nervous. "Of course not; I always keep my word. However, I do think I can help you." Ciel swallowed. Smiling wider, Claude gestured to the food in his hands. "Judging from your embarrassingly obvious little routine, you and Sebastian are quite the hot little secret item. And I may be wrong, but I don't think you've ever mentioned to Sebastian how you slept with his only friend, have you?"

Ciel snarled, berating himself with an internal string of curse words. If he'd told Sebastian back when it happened, it might have been no big deal. After waiting this long, however, it was sure to snowball. Sebastian would definitely confront Claude and that manipulative bastard would undoubtedly pull out all the stops to get Sebastian fired – and arrested if possible. Not to mention how mad he'd be that Ciel never brought it up after all this time.

Ciel was really beginning to hate this office.

Bestowing a look of pure loathing upon Claude, he snarled, "I'll talk to him."

Claude spread his hands wide and flashed his lady-killer smile. "Wonderful. That's all I asked."

"But this time I really don't want to see you again," Ciel spat, irritated.

"Ciel," Claude chided kindly. "Why do you always have to make things so difficult? I really am a nice guy." At Ciel's scoff, Claude raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh? Please, do enlighten me."

"A 'nice guy' wouldn't turn every conversation into a threat and force people to do things they don't want to do. You're an opportunistic asshole."

"I disagree whole-heartedly. I've only ever given you exactly what you wanted. I pulled you into my office to keep Sebastian from finding out I know his dirty little secret. I didn't turn him in even though I should have. I kept my distance from you all this time because I knew you'd want me to. And now, I'm promising to never tell Sebastian about _your_ little secret. How is any of that bad?"

Ciel paused. He hadn't thought of it like that, but some facts couldn't be disputed. "Gee, you make it sound almost reasonable. You conveniently left out how you forced me to have sex with you and are now extorting me to manipulate my friend."

" _Forced?_ " Claude asked, wide eyed. "I did no such thing. You _chose_ to have sex with me. You could have let me turn Sebastian in – let's not forget that _he_ is the bad guy here. He broke the rules, even when he knew it was wrong, and he took advantage of his student. I catered to your wish to ignore it, even though it was wrong. I did you a favor."

A crease formed between Ciel's brows. It felt wrong, but everything he said was true. They had had sex. Ciel had chosen to do it. Claude had not turned Sebastian in. Ciel didn't like it, but those were the facts.

Shaking his head, Ciel demanded, "And today? Threatening to tell Sebastian about us if I don't stop Alois? How is that 'good?'"

Claude leaned down, looking concerned. "Ciel, you are the one lying to your boyfriend. I'm offering to continue helping you keep the truth from him. You could run out of this office right now and spill your guts to him, but you won't, will you?"

Ciel bit his cheek, not answering. It sounded so bad when he said it like that, even if Sebastian wasn't really his boyfriend.

"And you know what Alois is doing is wrong, too. Stalking and harassing someone who has repeatedly rebuffed his advances? People go to jail for that. I'm just giving you an opportunity to save him before I have to take the matter up with the authorities."

Ciel's head was officially throbbing. He knew Claude was lying - only, he wasn't. Every single thing he said was true. Ciel was keeping secrets. Alois was stalking. It all sounded so horrible the way Claude told it.

"I'm offering to help you do two important things today and I'm not even asking for anything in return. If that's not good, then I don't know what is," Claude concluded.

Confused but unwilling to give in, Ciel stared hard at the food in his hands and grumbled, "Whatever. I already said I'd do what you want. Get out of my way."

Claude stepped swiftly aside, pulling open the door with a flourish. "As you wish."

Ciel exited the office and immediately turned left, away from Sebastian's office. Lost in thought, he went back down the stairs and blindly followed one of the brick walkways into College Green. When he felt far enough away, he walked up onto the grass and settled at the base of a tree. The grass was still wet with early morning dew, which eagerly soaked into his dry clothes. Ciel didn't even notice. His thoughts were fixed on the problem that was Claude Faustus.

His head knew that Claude's points were all true but his heart still firmly believed Claude was a slimy, smarmy bastard who couldn't be trusted.

Ciel uncapped his coffee and munched on a donut as he thought, hoping the sugar and caffeine would provide some insight. Ciel was not normally one to take emotions into consideration, but the fact that his feelings were so out of line with his thoughts gave him pause. He was sure that Claude had threatened him – wasn't he? That was how he'd felt at the time. Looking back on it now, though … Ciel scowled. He didn't like this shaky, uncertain feeling. He was used to being in control of every aspect of his life, completely sure of what he wanted and how he was going to get it. He was Ciel Phantomhive, after all. To have someone run him in circles like this was absolutely unbearable.

And furthermore, why did he care about what happened to Sebastian? Despite what everyone else seemed to think, they weren't dating. Ciel did have to admit he looked forward to their mornings together. Sure, they hung out a lot and had sex. Really, really great sex. Sometimes they even went places and did things together, but that wasn't dating, was it?

His exposed eye widened in sudden horror. Shit. He'd been domesticated without even realizing it.

He mulled this over for a while before returning his thoughts to Claude. Well, his threat/promise certainly held more sway now that Ciel saw what everyone else did. Part of him wanted to go back five minutes to before he realized he actually liked (maybe even – blerg! – _loved_ ) Sebastian. It was so much easier to shrug off when he thought he didn't care. Now that he knew he did, he really didn't know what to do at all.

He made it through all four donuts and both coffees before shaking his head. He hadn't made any progress sorting out the Claude situation, so he pushed it aside for now and moved on to something he could decide on: He definitely needed to get Alois to back off Claude. Not only would it keep Claude from outing him to Sebastian or calling the cops on Alois, Ciel really didn't want Alois hanging around that dick-bag until he figured out what Claude was up to.

Looking at the time on his phone, he realized he'd missed all of Philosophy. _Sorry, Sebastian_ , he thought idly. Ciel wiped his hands off on his jeans and stood, crumpling up the now empty donut bag. He deposited his trash in a can as he wandered off to find Alois.

This endeavor did not take long as Ciel remembered Alois mentioning something about having a British Literature class at this time a while ago, the building for which was luckily nearby. He arrived just in time to see a wave of students come pouring out the doors as multiple classes let out at once. His sharp blue eye picked out Alois's rail-thin form, not that it was a spectacular accomplishment by any means. The blond boy was dressed in a vibrant purple t-shirt and tiny black shorts. He had his arms draped over the shoulders of two girls as the three giggled wildly over something.

Ciel walked straight up and told the girls in a clipped tone, "Sorry, ladies, I need him." He then grabbed Alois's shirtfront in a fist and dragged him down the sidewalk at a brisk pace.

"Hey," Alois called, squirming but not struggling to keep up. "Not that I don't like a firm hand every now and then, but what the hell, C?"

Ciel pulled him out of the walkway and away from people. He checked to make sure no one was around them before saying very quietly, "'Lois, you've got to leave Claude alone."

Alois leaned in, looked around to see who Ciel was looking for, and whispered back, "Why?"

Ciel wracked his brain for a way to tell him, but it was all too much. "You just do. Please."

Alois leaned back and looked at him warily. "Are you feeling alright? You're acting kind of … cray-cray right now." Ciel dropped Alois's shirt and threw his head back to stare at the sky, taking in a big, loud breath. This did nothing at all to assuage Alois's worry.

Ciel put his hands over his face before saying, "Okay, you gotta come with me to my car. I don't want to say what I'm about to tell you out in the open." Curious, Alois nodded and let Ciel lead the way.

As they settled into the car, Alois asked, "Okay, Jason Bourne, we're in your car. What's with all the suspense?"

Ciel looked at him very seriously and said, "You have to leave Claude alone."

"Yeah, I got that part. I'm still waiting for the reason why it's so damn important all of the sudden."

"If you shut up, I'll tell you," Ciel snapped. Eyes wide, Alois pantomimed zipping his lips. Ciel nodded and continued, "It all started at that shitty rave back in August." He told Alois everything that had happened. Everything. It took half an hour and to Alois's credit he didn't say a word until Ciel finished with, "… and that's why you have to leave Claude alone."

Alois sat in stunned silence, digesting Ciel's story. His normally vibrant personality was freakishly muted. Just when Ciel thought he wasn't going to say anything, Alois whispered, "Damn." He let the word hang in the air for a minute before repeating solemnly, "Damn."

"Yeah. That about sums up how I feel, too," Ciel said softly, staring hard at the steering wheel and wondering how he managed to fuck things up so thoroughly.

"No," Alois snapped with sudden passion, making Ciel's head shoot up. "Don't you dare feel bad about this, Ciel. Yeah, you did do all that shit and it pisses me off that you didn't tell me anything until right now, but you know what? You're not the bad guy."

"But Claude –"

"Fuck Claude. He can twist things around all he wants, but I know you. He's playing you hard and you're letting him."

Ciel felt his own anger well up at the words, "What? I'm not _letting_ him do anything!"

Alois laughed harshly. "Do you know what it's like being your friend? You are so sharp, so cunning. You always get what you want because you can play people like fiddles." Ciel opened his mouth to object and Alois held up a hand. "Let me finish. You can talk your way out of or into anything; it's like you eat, sleep, and breathe words – and for the first time in your life, I think you've met your match. Claude got to you like you get to everyone else and you don't know how to handle it."

Ciel's eye went wide. "Shit."

"Yeah, tough guy. It's so not fun when someone does it to you, is it?"

"Alois, I'm sor–"

"Save it. It's actually good that you've always been such a manipulative little dickhole. It means we've got something that Claude doesn't."

"What?" Ciel asked, mystified.

"Me," Alois responded smugly. "I've dealt with your shit since grade school. Believe it or not, I've actually developed a few strategies for dealing with your freaky mind-warp." Ciel eyed him skeptically. Frustrated, Alois said, "Look. I'm not pretending to be smart. I know I'm not as quick as you are. I don't think well on my feet and you damn well _know_ I'm not good at figuring things out –"

"No shit," Ciel muttered.

" –but I _am_ observant, persistent, and determined." Alois continued on doggedly, ignoring the interruption. "Given enough time, I do muddle through. Case in point: How I am not currently stuck in a loony bin despite all the horrible things you've tricked me into doing or convinced me were real over the years."

Ciel grinned sheepishly, admitting, "Yeah, I guess that's true."

"Add to that the fact that I know, like, literally _everything_ about Claude Faustus, and I'm your ideal sidekick. We'll figure this out."

For the first time in his life, Ciel felt strangely … comforted at the idea of Alois helping him do something. That little twinge of hope was enough to jumpstart his spirit and kick the gears of his mind into motion. After a moment of consideration, he agreed, "Okay, Watson. I'll let you help me deal with Claude."

"Yay!" Alois bounced in his seat, rocking the car as he clapped excitedly.

"But there's one thing we've got to do first," Ciel said seriously, single blue eye hard and locked onto something in the distance.

"What?"

"We need to figure out what the hell he's up to."


	4. Chapter 4

**Monday, September 1  
** **Six Weeks Ago in the Library…**  

Sebastian carefully combed his hair with his fingers and straightened his tie, waiting a solid three minutes before exiting the small room just in case anyone was watching. He walked into the stacks and looked along the shelf for the first book he was hunting. The online catalog had said it would be right about … here. He picked it up and moved along to the next item on his list, finding them all quickly.

He took his selections to the circulation desk, mind already in his office with Ciel. The librarian scanned his books and wished him a good night. Sebastian smiled out of habit and nodded, trying to decide what restaurant to pick.

He kept his pace unhurried as he passed through the Green, through there were very few people present to see him. Night had fallen while he was in the library. He could make out a hint of sunset still clinging to the distance, but overhead the first stars were already visible.

_I know, why don't we drive to that Italian place I saw just outside the city last night? It's far enough away no one will recognize us and close enough we won't die of hunger before getting there._ Sebastian thought as he climbed the stairs. He pushed open the heavy metal door, wincing as the hinge squeaked loudly in the quiet hall. He heard a strange thump as the door swung shut behind him, but no one was in the hallway when he rounded the corner. No lights shone under any office doors, either.

He shrugged it off. These old buildings were full of strange noises. He walked to his office and pushed open the door, opening his mouth to ask if Ciel liked Italian food – only to find the room dark and empty.

Sebastian checked his watch. It was a few minutes past their agreed upon twenty, so he shot Ciel a quick text asking where he was. He left the phone on his desk and put up his books as he waited. He gathered his briefcase and leaned against his desk. And waited. After almost ten minutes, he was starting to get worried. Ciel's response finally dinged his phone. " **Sry, had 2 go. TTYL.** "

Sebastian quirked a brow at the device and bestowed upon it a look of teacherly disapproval. His expression would have intimidated more information out of a student, but the phone just kept stubbornly displaying the same message. Throwing up a hand in defeat, he shoved it back into his pocket and went home, unconcerned. Stuff came up. No big deal.

He considered sending Ciel another text that night, but decided against it. He waited until morning instead, asking if everything was okay.

Twenty minutes later he got a " **ya** " response. Mildly offended but hoping to write it off as a generational difference rather than an intentional brush-off, he wrote, " **Good. Want to get lunch and talk about it?** " The radio silence stretched almost an hour this time. " **no. at work** "

_Infuriating little monster_ , Sebastian thought absently, dismissing it with no real vinegar. _I'll have to beat some manners into him_.

A knock on his office door brought his head up. "Enter." Claude Faustus stepped in, amusement plain on his face. He raised a brow as if expecting to be praised for not barging in. Sebastian just rolled his eyes and said, "Claude. You're looking … well."

The taller man smirked and rolled in to drape himself over a chair, every inch the cat that got the cream. "It must have been how I _slept_ ," he said expressively.

Sebastian eyed him before deciding he didn't even want to know. "How nice for you."

Claude removed his glasses to polish them with a microfiber cloth. "Quite." He did not elaborate, clearly wanting Sebastian to ask.

Sebastian refused to play this stupid game because he honestly didn't care. "Was there something you wanted?"

Claude looked up at the unexpected response, intrigued rather than putout. "Actually, yes. My lunch date fell through and I was curious if you like Thai."

Sebastian looked down at the phone in his hand. Seeing that he had two hours until his next lecture, he shrugged and said, "Sure. But I need to be back by one-thirty."

Unlike Sunday's fiasco, the Thai restaurant actually was close. Sebastian was surprised by the curious fusion of modern and traditional elements inside. Neon lotuses glowed next to elegant draperies while sleek steel legs supported carved wooden tabletops. A pleasant array of pungent foreign spices caressed his nose and made his stomach grumble. Claude raised a brow to ask if it was okay and Sebastian shrugged. He couldn't decide if it was gaudy or trendy, but supposed it didn't matter if the food was good.

When presented with a near indecipherable menu, Sebastian's brows knitted. It was written in English, not that it helped any. Simple words like "pork" and "rice" were mixed evenly with unfamiliar ones like "congee," giving him only the vaguest notion of what each dish contained. He looked up to find Claude watching him with amusement.

"Yes?" Sebastian drawled, irritated by the other man's humor.

Claude smiled innocently. "Nothing. Nothing at all. You just look a little lost."

Sebastian stared once more at the useless piece of laminated paper in his hand and sighed, pushing it away. "What are you having?"

Claude smirked mischievously. "Bami Nam Tok."

"Perfect. Make that for two."

Claude nodded and waved the waitress over to put in their order. "First Thai restaurant?" he asked archly after she left.

Sebastian nodded. "I'm from small town, Virginia. We barely had chain restaurants, much less foreign food. I think the most exotic restaurant was Olive Garden."

"Well, that's interesting."

"If by 'interesting' you mean mind-numbingly boring, yes, it was."

"How sad. I'll be sure to help you widen your horizons." Claude's golden eyes sparkled mischievously.

Sebastian eyed him warily, not quite comfortable with the way Claude said that. He wasn't comfortable with the way he said anything, really. Everything that came out of Claude's mouth felt like it alluded to something dark and secret; his mocking tone twisted the most innocent of words to imply alternate meanings. It was if Claude was always in on some cosmic joke no one else understood.

Thankfully, the food arrived before Sebastian had to think of something else to say. He was surprised at the speed until he noticed it was just soup (or something of the like, brown with meat and noodles) and a side of white rice. Claude toasted with his spoon before tucking in. Sebastian followed suit, pleased at the taste of pork and rich spices.

"Like it?" Claude asked when Sebastian's bowl was half empty.

Sebastian nodded his approval, swallowing his current mouthful before asking, "What's in it? I can tell there's pork, but I'm not familiar with the spices."

Claude took a bite of rice, considering briefly before rattling off, "Oh, just noodles, dumplings, sprouts, pork, liver, and blood. Nothing too unusual." His face was perfectly straight, but the way he watched for Sebastian's reaction clearly indicated he was trying to get a rise out of the other man.

Sebastian felt his eyes widen but refused to give Claude the satisfaction of a disgusted response. He simply murmured, "Oh. It's pretty good," and forced down another spoonful despite his queasy gut.

Claude leaned back and folded his hands over his stomach, unexpectedly pleased. "You're an interesting man, Sebastian Michaelis."

"And you're kind of a dick, Claude Faustus," Sebastian responded politely, turning to the safety of his plain rice and finishing it without looking up.

Claude just chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I kind of am."

"I'm curious why," Sebastian said as he pushed away his empty rice bowl and met Claude's eyes. "So far you've dragged me to a nasty death trap full of illicit drugs and terrible booze and tricked me into eating something you thought would disgust me. I'm pretty sure I haven't had the chance to offend you yet, so what's your problem?"

Claude laughed at Sebastian's directness, the musical sound carrying through the quiet restaurant. He flashed a dazzling true smile, startling Sebastian, who up to this point had only seen the slightest flickers of emotion from Claude. "It's just my nature, I guess."

Sebastian shook his head. "I don't get you at all. Why keep pestering me to do things if you're just going to spend the whole time making me regret it?"

Claude leaned forward, folding his forearms on the table. "Taking someone out of their comfort zone is the best way to find out who they really are. I was curious about you."

"You could have, I don't know, _asked_ ," Sebastian suggested, throwing up a hand in exasperation.

Claude _tsked_. "If only it were that simple. The world is a big bunch of liars. People have such ridiculous ideas about who they _should_ be or who they _want_ to be that they are completely blind to who they actually _are_. They lie to themselves just as much as everyone else. The only way to get the truth is to make them show you."

Sebastian found that strangely insightful, if a bit twisted. "Oh really? And what have I shown you?"

"Not nearly enough. What are your plans for dinner?" When Sebastian raised his brows, Claude waved him off with a huff of laughter. "As friends, of course. I know you like the ladies."

Sebastian considered the offer for a moment. Claude certainly wasn't boring. In fact, the more time he spent with the warped bastard, the more interested he became. Normal people would certainly be running by now, but perhaps he was just as warped in his own way. They fit together like two gnarled branches; each uniquely misshapen but somehow compatible.

"Fine. But I'm not signing up for another round of torture. If you want to hang out as _friends_ " Sebastian emphasized carefully, "you better start acting like it." Claude silently crossed his heart with his finger, though the impish twinkle in his eye made Sebastian doubt his sincerity. "And I'm picking the place. Ass."

"Fair enough," Claude allowed.

Claude paid for their food and drove Sebastian back to the college, clearly on his very best behavior. They parted ways in the parking lot after making plans to meet back up in their offices at seven. Sebastian watched the other man go with careful skepticism. He suspected Claude's good behavior was not so much guilty atonement as winding him up for another trick, but let it go with a shrug. Asshole that he was, Claude Faustus was an interesting diversion.

Sebastian gave Ciel a call as he walked back to his office. It rang two times before getting shunted to voicemail. He snarled briefly and hung up before the electronic voice finished instructing him how to leave a message.

He genuinely did not understand that little runt. The kid was so damn determined to keep screwing yesterday, yet ghosted on him the very same day. After a moment of grumbling, Sebastian shrugged and stuffed the phone back into his pocket. I was no skin off his nose if the kid changed his mind.

Despite that thought, he caught himself glancing at his phone with increasing frequency throughout the afternoon, growing frustrated at the continued absence of activity. No texts, no calls, nothing.

At six-thirty, his last class ended with still no word from Ciel. Bestowing one last glare upon the blank screen of his phone, he shoved the irritating device into his pocket – where it immediately buzzed against his leg. Fingers fumbling in his haste to remove it, he almost dropped it.

"1 message from Unknown Number: **Are we still on? -C** ".

Sebastian's brows knitted. He pointedly finished packing his briefcase and locking up the classroom before deigning to respond. " **Check whom you are messaging. You've been ignoring me all day, so no.** " Sebastian pushed the stairwell door open with unnecessary force and began climbing.

He was immediately pinged back with: "1 message from Unknown Number: **Jesus, Sebastian. It's only been five hours. Did you want me to hold your hand all day? -C** ".

He paused on the staircase, eyes widening. Skipping up the last few steps, he made quick time down to Claude's office, popping his head through the open doorway to find Claude holding a sleek black phone. Holding up his own device, Sebastian asked, "Are you texting me?"

Claude raised a brow sardonically. "Yes. And I even received your answer. Funny how these little electronic things work, isn't it?"

Sebastian was both relieved and embarrassed. Pocketing his phone, he gave a sheepish grin and chuffed a short laugh at himself. "Yeah, sorry about that. I thought you were someone else."

"Oh?" Claude asked archly. "I did sign my messages for a reason. You can't know that many 'C's, can you?"

Smirking, Sebastian responded, "You'd be surprised. Ready to go?"

Claude pocketed his phone smoothly and gestured to the door, allowing Sebastian to lead the way.

This time, Sebastian actually _did_ get to enjoy the quiet little pub he had been looking forward to. It was all wood paneling, stained glass, and deep, plush booths. Being an early Tuesday evening, business was slow with few other customers. The hostess sat them in an empty corner and handed them menus before informing them their server would be with them shortly.

"Acceptable?" Sebastian asked when they were alone.

The faintly amused expression that had appeared on Claude's face in the office remained unchanged as he surveyed his surroundings and menu. "Quite."

Sebastian eyed him, growing more and more suspicious. This was the longest Claude had gone without irritating him and it was … unnerving. He found himself tensing as if for a blow.

Claude silently closed his menu and folded his hands over it, watching Sebastian intently. Sebastian did his damnedest to ignore Claude's gaze boring into him as he read his own menu. As the seconds ticked by, he realized his eyes had been skimming the same steak dish over and over uncomprehendingly for some time.

With a sigh, Sebastian laid down his menu and stared right back. "What?" he demanded.

"Nothing. Not a thing," Claude replied smoothly. "Just trying not to interrupt."

Sebastian was saved from having to respond by the appearance of their waitress. She took their beer and food order before departing.

"You seem … tense," Claude stated.

"You think? You're not exactly easy company."

Tilting his head very slightly from side to side as if weighing Sebastian's words, Claude admitted: "True, however I don't think I'm to blame for this one."

Sebastian murmured his thanks as the waitress deposited their beers and took a few sips as he debated what to say.

"Does this have something to do with your text from earlier? From when you thought I was someone else?" Claude hid his knowing smile in the rim of his glass, watching Sebastian intently.

Figuring it couldn't hurt to talk in generalities, Sebastian admitted, "Yeah, it does." Claude nodded encouragingly when he paused. "I got blown off by someone today and I guess it irks me more than I want it to. I apologize for snapping at you."

Claude waved his hand dismissively. "No need for apologies. Who blew you off? A date?"

Sebastian considered for a second before nodding. It was an apt enough description.

"Forget her. I don't know much about women, but if she's dumb enough to blow you off, she's not worth your time."

"He. It was a guy," Sebastian corrected. Fuck it. The only reason he didn't tell Claude his orientation was so the other teacher wouldn't get suspicious of anything he did with Ciel, which clearly wasn't going to be an issue anymore.

"Ah," Claude said, delighted. "So you _are_ gay after all. First time out of the closet?"

Sebastian snorted. "No, and it's 'bi' actually."

"I see. So you actually did go home with a woman on Sunday?"

Uncomfortable with where Claude was headed, Sebastian downed the rest of his beer and turned the conversation around, demanding, "What's with the third degree?"

Claude held up his palms in mock surrender. "Just asking. If you want to talk about something else, be my guest."

"Sure." Frowning, Sebastian realized he knew absolutely nothing about Claude. Not surprising, considering this was by far the longest conversation he'd held with the man, but it felt unfair as Claude already knew so much about him. "I honestly don't know the first thing about you, Claude," he finally admitted. "What do you do when you're not tricking poor bastards into making fools of themselves?"

Claude laughed his disturbingly perfect laugh and took a drink while he thought. "Truthfully? That about sums me up. I spend most of my time studying people. When I'm not interacting with them, I'm reading about them. I minored in psychology and still keep up with a few journals."

"No offence, but you don't seem like the most compassionate type. I can't see you acting as a therapist or guidance counselor."

Claude snorted. "Definitely not. It's more for my own amusement than anything else."

"So, when you're not dicking with people … you're learning how to more effectively dick with people?"

Claude laughed with genuine amusement. "Well, I've never thought of it quite that way before, but yes." He leaned forward to rest his chin on his fist. "I really do like you, Sebastian Michaelis. You're not full of shit like everyone else is."

Sebastian raised a brow and snorted, signaling to their waitress for another round of beers. "Believe me, I'm plenty full of shit."

"Ah," Claude countered, lifting a finger, "but doesn't knowing you're full of shit prove that you're _not_ full of shit at all?"

"You mean I can't be crazy because I think I _am_ crazy, whereas people who actually _are_ crazy think they're _not_? I'm not sure bullshit works like that."

Claude shrugged. "Fair enough."

A runner brought out their food, setting a sizzling steak before Sebastian and a steaming meat pie in front of Claude. He placed their beers on the table, folded up his stand, and retreated.

Sebastian skewered a stem of broccoli and pointed the loaded fork at Claude as he asked, "Now the real question is: what do you want with me?" He placed the vegetable in his mouth and chewed, awaiting Claude's response.

Surprised, Claude set down his fork and plastered a look of pure innocence across his face. " _Want_ with you?"

Not buying it one bit, Sebastian spared him a pointed glance before cutting into his steak. "Don't insult me with that act. We've already established that your one true love is dicking with people. Like it or not, I am a people, ergo …" he trailed off delicately as he bit into a cube of steak. It was cooked to perfection.

Claude rolled his eyes and crushed through the crispy pastry top of his chicken pot pie. "Fine, you caught me. I was curious if you like games?"

"Games?" Sebastian asked, surprised. That certainly wasn't what he had expected.

"Is there an alternate meaning to that word I'm not familiar with?"

Sebastian quirked a brow. "It depends on the game, I suppose. What did you have in mind?"

"Something suitably challenging. I did not lie when I said I like you. A large part of why is that of all the people I've met, I believe you're the only one who stands a fighting chance of playing on my level."

Sebastian's face was blank for a long second before he laughed so heartily a tear rolled down his cheek. Claude stared in shocked silence. Once Sebastian composed himself, he wiped his face and took a deep swig of his drink. "Ah, that was a good one. Thanks." He continued eating as if nothing had happened.

"I … " Claude trailed off, not quite sure what to make of the man before him. "Can I ask what all that was about?"

Sebastian chuckled. "You can ask, but you probably won't like the answer."

"Indulge me," Claude said, experiencing a rare moment of sincere interest.

"You want to play some game with me." Sebastian waited for Claude's nod before he continued. "You then said that I was the only one close to your level." Another pause and nod. "Now, that means you are either trying to compliment me into agreeing or challenging my pride to trick me into agreeing – or you actually _are_ that full of yourself and need to be put out of your misery. Any way you look at it, it's not flattering."

Claude smiled in spite of himself. "You truly are a remarkable opponent."

"No, I'm simply one hell of a philosopher. And I thought the whole point of this endeavor was to have dinner as friends?"

"Enemies are the truest friends. Friends constantly surprise you by turning on you; an enemy always does exactly what you'd expect."

Sebastian smirked and raised his glass in acknowledgement before drinking. "You are one confusing, frustrating bastard, Claude Faustus, but I don't think anyone will ever say that you're boring."

"That is praise of the highest order," Claude noted, lifting his own glass.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Sebastian surprised him again by idly asking, "Just out of curiosity, what was this game you were trying to maneuver me into playing?"

Claude's thin lips curled up in the barest of smiles. "To echo your earlier words, you probably won't like the answer."

Raising both brows playfully, Sebastian repeated Claude's line: "Indulge me."

"If you're certain." Claude paused to give Sebastian time to reconsider. When he didn't, Claude pushed aside his empty bowl and leaned forward to lace his fingers on the table. "It has to do with the bullshit you mentioned being full of earlier."

Intrigued, Sebastian pushed his own empty plate aside and mirrored Claude. "And what bullshit would that be?"

"I happen to know that you did not go home with a woman on Sunday like you claim."

"Really?" Sebastian replied. "How is that remotely remarkable after I just admitted to enjoying partners of both genders?"

"The interesting part is not the _what_ but the _whom_ ," Claude continued.

Sebastian kept his face carefully blank as he leaned in to quietly ask, "And how exactly is the _whom_ I slept with of any interest to you?"

With a Cheshire grin, Claude mirrored Sebastian, leaning in to explain in a whisper, "Because I happened to bed the same _whom_ the following night and believe I am thus responsible for the irritable, rejected funk you find yourself in today."

Sebastian straightened up suddenly, startled. "You … what?" _So that's what he's been hinting about all day_. Sebastian grimaced as all the mocking looks and subtle jabs Claude had made over the past twelve hours suddenly made sense.

"Oh dear, was that too obtuse for your inebriated state?" Claude cleared his throat and stated slowly and clearly: "I fucked Ciel Phantomhive, your pretty blue-haired student. You are upset that he's not returning your calls now, right? I believe that may be my bad." At Sebastian's stunned silence, he added a polite, "Sorry," not looking sorry at all.

"I'm not drunk, you ass, I just don't understand why you're telling me this." Was Claude trying to get a rise out of him or just being a dick? Sebastian couldn't decide. It did sting to know that Ciel had dropped their plans to run off with his creepy coworker immediately after they had sex, though. And that the little brat was suddenly not interested in him afterwards.

Rolling his eyes, Claude huffed. "Sure you're not. I'm telling you this because you wanted to know about my game."

Sebastian murmured unflattering things into his pint as he tipped it up sharply and chugged.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to get drunk so that whatever stupid idea you have will sound good." Sebastian set the empty glass down with a thud. He doubted two beers would be enough to help him tolerate Claude at the moment, but he could hope. "Proceed."

Claude was mildly taken aback by the dismissive treatment. As an educated and attractive man, he was used to being fawned over – or at the very least humored – when he interacted with others. To be viewed with such indifference by someone who so closely resembled himself, it was as if his own reflection had rejected him. His eyes narrowed and he felt the urge to return the hurt.

"Honestly," Claude chided Sebastian's rudeness. "I'm trying to help you here. The only reason I know about you and Ciel at all is because the brat bragged about it to me," he lied. At Sebastian's look of surprise – and anger – Claude's lip curled. Clicking Ciel's attitude together with Sebastian's expression, Claude made a leap of intuition. "I figure he must be trying to hold it over you somehow. That boy really has a god complex." Sebastian eyed Claude warily but didn't disagree. Claude took it as permission to continue. "What I suggest is that we turn the tables on the little runt, show him who's really in charge."

Sebastian leaned back into his side of the booth and crossed his arms, considering. He had actually been planning to do exactly that before the kid started ignoring him. His first reaction to Ciel ghosting had been to shrug and be thankful for how much time and trouble his disappearance saved him. Now, after hearing how Ciel had _bragged_ about extorting him – and to Sebastian's coworker, the one he blew Sebastian off to screw, no less – well, Sebastian wasn't feeling quite so generous. Shame and rage burned in his gut, aching to be let out.

Sebastian jerked his chin in a sharp nod of agreement. "One small problem: he's not returning my calls."

"Oh, he will," Claude assured him. The kid had gone to great lengths to ensure Sebastian wouldn't get turned in. That was not the action of someone who was planning to disappear.

Sebastian snorted. "And you know this how?"

Claude grinned deviously. "As you so elegantly put it: I love dicking with people, and Ciel is a people."

Sebastian lifted a brow and shrugged. "Fair enough, but putting him in his place is a goal, not a plan. What are you suggesting we do?"

Claude steepled his fingers and considered. "I think it would be a most fitting punishment to have that independent, prideful little creature become completely dependent upon you. Make him forget how he planned to use you and have him become completely enthralled with you instead. Then, you simply get him to confess his tender little feelings in the most public manner possible – and reject him brutally."

Sebastian considered Claude's idea. His own plan had been to dominate the boy, slowly turning the table of power and bending him into submission. Sebastian would then play with him until he grew bored and cut the kid loose. Claude's plan, however, was much sharper. It was the fine point of a rapier that would sneak past Ciel's defenses to wound him deeply. A fitting punishment for the betrayal Sebastian currently felt.

As an afterthought, Claude added: "Additionally, think of how much fun you could have tormenting him along the way. There are so many ways we could make his life difficult without him suspecting a thing and you'll have a front row seat to his misery."

Sebastian nodded his appreciation and held up fingers as he spoke. "Firstly, I'm surprised there was no dismemberment in that plan. You are a twisted bastard and I was honestly worried what you would come up with." An amused light danced in Claude's golden eyes at Sebastian's words, telling him that Claude may not rule out dismemberment as entertainment. Creepy. "Secondly, as cliché and childish as that plan is, I have to admit it does suit its target remarkably well. I honestly don't know what would sting him the most: losing his independence or getting rejected. Both would be deliciously painful."

Claude took a mock bow in his seat.

"Now, what do you get out of it?"

Claude's thin eyebrows rose slightly at the question. "You mean aside from helping my new friend and dear coworker out of a tricky situation?" Sebastian nodded. "I not only get to play my favorite game, but I finally have a worthy accomplice so I can act as the architect instead of a foot soldier. I think it will be much more fun this way." Leaning in conspiratorially, he added in a whisper, "And to be completely honest, I think the brat deserves to be punished for what he's trying to pull on you."

Satisfied, Sebastian allowed himself a smirk. This might actually work. "You're on. Where would the architect like to start?"

Claude's wicked little heart danced with glee as he outlined his plan, instructing Sebastian on the best ways to break Ciel. _And after Sebastian breaks him, I can pick up the pieces and mold him into the perfect little toy to have all to myself._


	5. Chapter 5

**Friday, September 5**

 

Just as Claude predicted, Ciel made a sudden reappearance on Friday and acted like nothing had happened. He simply strolled into Sebastian's office half an hour before class and deposited a tall black coffee on his desk.

"Morning," Ciel stated, plopping himself down in Sebastian's visitor's chair to slurp his own frothy, sugary drink.

Sebastian raised a brow, expression carefully neutral as he lifted the beverage. "Good morning."

Ciel snorted and slouched in his seat, bringing one knee up. "Mornings are never good."

A faint smile curved Sebastian's mouth. He briefly debated asking Ciel where he had disappeared to just to hear what lie the boy would tell, but decided against it. In order for Claude's plan to work, Ciel had to fall for him - and in order for _that_ to work, he had to play his role of patient, reliable protector perfectly. So instead, Sebastian simply asked, "Do you like Italian food?"

Ciel's droopy lids perked up. "It's a hell of a breakfast, but I'm game."

Sebastian chuckled. "As much as I would love to run away with you, there's an auditorium full of students downstairs waiting for me. I was actually thinking about dinner, if you're free."

Ciel shrugged and sipped his coffee slowly before answering. "Hmm, no."

"No?" Sebastian repeated, confused at the sudden change.

"N. O. It's two letters. Even you should be able to understand that," Ciel mocked.

Sebastian ground his teeth and attempted to keep his voice level. "I see. Something else then, perhaps?"

Ciel gave him an appraising look and sat up in his chair, dropping his feet to the ground. "Look, we're not dating. We're not going to go out to dinner and hold hands and cuddle; I don't do romance. We're going to screw and then go our separate ways. The end." Ciel snatched up his bag and slammed his half-empty cup into the waste bin, making loud _thunk_ to emphasize his point. "Since you're obviously free tonight, let's meet back here at six-thirty and do just that." With that, Ciel turned on a heel and stalked out.

Sebastian seethed and clenched his paper coffee cup so hard it buckled, oozing hot liquid over his fingers. While Ciel's reaction would have been perfect for his own use-and-discard scheme, Claude's idea required more finesse. He tossed his damaged cup into the garbage before it could leak out all of its contents. Wiping his hand on some paper napkins, he resolved to stick to the plan.

He would be calm. He would be patient. He would remain unruffled no matter what. He would be the perfect willing captive, serving his little "master" faithfully until the end. Honestly, how hard could it be?

\---

_7 days later…_

"I can't do it!" Sebastian growled, pacing in front of Claude's desk. "That brat is _unbearable_!"

Claude sat calmly behind his desk, rolling a pen between his fingers as he watched Sebastian pace. Late afternoon light streamed in golden bars through his window, painting the room orange and yellow. Sebastian stalked back and forth in its glow like a caged tiger. "He's not going to fall madly in love overnight, you know. It's only been a week."

"Easy for you to say. You don't have to put up with him. He breathes down my neck constantly, badgering me for attention until the moment I give it to him, at which point he immediately distances himself and acts like _I'm_ the nuisance."

Claude quirked a lip up mockingly. "Well, it certainly sounds like he's getting under your skin. You're not falling for _him_ , are you?"

Sebastian froze in his pacing. Back stiff, he swiveled and pointed at the seething snarl on his face. "Does this look anything like 'love' to you, Mister People-Reader?"

Claude chuckled. "Judging from some of the married couples I've encountered, it's possible."

Sebastian dismissed the jab with a snort and wave of his hand. "Definitely not," he grumbled as he resumed his circuit.

"The key is consistency," Claude reminded him. "Be solid and steady; a fixed point in his life. Don't let your emotions show, just do whatever he wants without resistance. He will begin to rely on you whether he realizes it or not."

Sebastian grimaced. Claude made it sound so simple, like all he had to do was curl up and pretend to be a rock. But Sebastian was not a rock; he was a tree, and it was impossible for him to stay steady as he was buffeted about by the boy's conflicting demands and emotions. Ciel was a hurricane of desire and rejection, all mixed up and churning at a hundred miles per hour. His desire to have Sebastian constantly at his beck and call seemed matched only by his desire to push him as far away as possible. Every time Sebastian yielded to Ciel's pull, he was immediately slapped back. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take before he snapped.

Watching the frustration roll over Sebastian's features, Claude sighed and offered, "Fine, if that's too much for you, why don't you try a new tactic?" Sebastian perked up at this and paused his pacing as he waited for Claude to elaborate. "Try acting like you're falling for him. Show some emotion. Make him believe he has you right where he wants you. It might relax him enough to let down his guard."

Sebastian eyed Claude as he considered the suggestion. He couldn't find any fault with it, though, and it didn't seem any worse than the emotionless, unflinching obedience their current plan required of him. At least this way he'd be able to show some frustration when Ciel annoyed him. Nodding, Sebastian sorely conceded, "I suppose it's worth a try. Can't be any worse than what I'm doing now."

"There's the spirit," Claude responded dryly.

An electronic _blip_ made both men turn their attention to Sebastian's pocket. He dug his phone out to find a text from Ciel asking – no, _telling_ Sebastian to be in his office in half an hour. Sebastian snorted and rolled his eyes heavenward as if beseeching divine aid. He was beginning to wonder if this petty revenge scheme was even worth the endless pile of shit he was dragging himself through.

"I take it that was your 'Little Master?'" Claude chuckled darkly, throwing the title out as a barb.

Sebastian made the barest hint of a snarl before nodding. "Yeah. He just ordered me to meet him in my office. I guess Plan B starts now."

Claude folded his hands on his desk and smiled. "Excellent. Be sure not to move too fast. Make it slow and natural or he'll catch on –"

"Yes, yes!" Sebastian interrupted, waving his hand in Claude's face with a disgusted grunt to shut him up. "Thank you, mother. I'm not a complete moron. I've got this."

Claude looked skeptical but didn't argue. "In that case, you better head over before he catches you in here. Seeing the two of us together will put his guard up and make him an even bigger pain in your ass."

Sebastian huffed and stuffed his phone back into his pocket, exiting the room without a word. He made sure to pull the door closed so Ciel wouldn't catch sight of Claude on his way past. He doubted glimpsing the man in passing would rile the boy up but didn't want to chance it. No sense making things harder on himself than they needed to be. (And to be honest, a small, competitive part of him didn't want to risk the Ciel getting distracted by the attractive older man and falling into his bed again.)

Sebastian settled in behind his desk and waited, rolling the new plan over in his mind.

A few minutes later, Ciel slumped into the room. He dropped his bag to the floor as he closed the door and plopped down into the chair across from Sebastian without even looking up. He let his head fall back and sighed out a breath of relief, single eye closing.

"Rough day?" Sebastian asked, amused by the boy's unusual behavior.

"You don't know the half of it," Ciel muttered. The stupid school had been randomly dropping him from his classes all week and no one could figure out what was happening. He rolled his shoulders a few times before reaching back to try to pinch at his neck. Sebastian glided around the desk silently. Ciel jumped as large hands knocked his away and began kneading the knots under his skin. "What are you –"

"Helping. Hush."

Ciel wanted to argue but his brain was turning to goo, just like his muscles under Sebastian's fingers. His eye that had popped open at the unexpected touch slowly fell closed again. He hummed in contentment as the larger man worked. Sebastian was tempted to wrap his large hands around the frail little neck and squeeze his frustration out, but he behaved. Finally, when all the tenseness was gone, Sebastian stepped back around his desk to settle into his seat.

"Hey –" Ciel started, then stopped.

Sebastian arched a playful brow when Ciel didn't continue. "Hey indeed."

"Shut up!" Ciel barked. "And get back over here. You know what I'm here for."

Steepling his fingers on the desk between them, Sebastian leaned forward to tease, "I certainly thought I did, but now I'm not so sure." He made no move to obey Ciel's command.

Glaring, Ciel snapped his fingers and pointed at the floor in front of him. "You. Here. Now."

The barest hint of a smile ghosted over Sebastian's lips as he sat unmoving. "No."

Ciel sputtered – and hated himself for it. This was the first time Sebastian had refused him and he wasn't quite sure what to do. Making a concentrated effort to control himself, Ciel demanded, "What are you playing at?"

"I'm not 'playing at' anything; I simply refuse to respond to a dog's commands," Sebastian retorted.

"Since when?" Ciel scoffed

"Right now, apparently."

"You impudent –"

"You really are an English major, aren't you?"

"Stop interrupting me! Are you trying to tell me that you don't want to see me anymore?"

Sebastian smiled serenely. For one horrible moment Ciel worried that he would say yes and that everything he went through with Claude the previous week would have been for nothing. He felt a strangely strong flush of relief then Sebastian finally answered, "No, I'm just insisting on a modicum of respect."

Still pulsing with adrenaline over the thought of Sebastian rejecting him, Ciel checked his immediate urge to scoff. He didn't want to push the man too far over something that wasn't worth it. After a moment of consideration, Ciel narrowed his dark blue eye and allowed, "Fine. But don't get any ideas."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Sebastian responded sweetly, pleased with his victory. He rose to his feet and circled the desk without further prompting. Ciel smirked, pleased to see Sebastian was back to his normal, subservient self. Long fingers carded through his slate-colored hair and trailed down his neck. Sebastian began rolling them in soothing circles along Ciel's neck, grinning as the boy's face faded from irritation to bliss. Lips against Ciel's ear, he purred, "If you want to take this back to my place, I can strip you down and do this all over."

Ciel shuddered involuntarily. He had just wanted a quickie in Sebastian's office, but this new plan sounded so much better. "Fine. I'll meet you over there, but I've got other things to do today. Don't keep me waiting."

A few seconds (minutes?) later, the magic hands stopped moving on his neck and Ciel's eye snapped open at the sudden loss of contact. His face immediately flushed with the realization that he'd been sitting there stupid and silent for God knows how long after he meant to walk out. Sebastian chucked and held up his hands in mock surrender when Ciel glared daggers. Choosing not to speak because he was sure something stupid would pop out and embarrass him more, Ciel grabbed his bag and stomped out to his car.

The drive to Sebastian's apartment flew by as Ciel's mind churned with equal parts embarrassment and lust. The sunset finished dying on the way over, leaving the night sky dark and starry. Ciel parked in the lot behind the building and was up the stairs, knocking on Sebastian's door before he knew it. Surprisingly, Sebastian was not only inside, but had found the time to change into a white cotton robe and light candles. Soothing instrumental music flowed from the bedroom.

Ciel quirked a brow at the disturbingly date-like, romantic setting as he walked in. "What the hell are you up to?"

Unruffled by Ciel's perpetually cranky behavior, Sebastian smiled his closed-lipped grin and extended another fluffy white robe to Ciel. "The point of massage is to _relax_. Soft lights and music help. This is almost exactly how I used to set up my parlor back in Virginia, though that did have a proper table rather than a bed."

Intrigued by the unexpected response, Ciel took the robe absently and asked, "Parlor, like massage parlor?" Sebsatian nodded and gestured Ciel toward the bedroom. "I didn't know you were a masseuse," Ciel mumbled, leading the way to the other room where the majority of the candles were concentrated.

"You never asked."

Ciel grunted noncommittally as he shrugged out of his clothes and wrapped the robe around himself, tying it loosely. He dumped his clothes on a nearby chair, not bothering to fold them. Sebastian was extending a small, steaming teacup to him when he turned back around. Suspiciously, Ciel looked from it to the fancy little iron kettle on a hotplate to Sebastian. "What is this?"

"Tea," Sebastian stated simply. When Ciel gave him a dark look, he added, "It's Peach Tranquility, a soothing herbal blend with chamomile and lemon designed to rela –"

"To relax me, yeah, yeah. I get the picture," Ciel grumbled as he finally took the cup and sipped it. The warmth and light flavor were actually very nice. He felt his shoulders loosen a bit, but refused to give Sebastian the satisfaction of being right. "So are you going to get on with it or what? I told you I don't have all night."

Biting back a sigh, Sebastian simply gestured to the bed. "By all means. Remove your robe and lie face down." Ciel left his half full teacup on a dresser and did as he was instructed. With a bit of fidgeting, he finally found a comfortable position on his stomach, head pillowed on his arms. He could hear Sebastian bustling about but didn't bother opening his eye to see what the man was up to. Soon enough, he felt warm hands on his shoulders. Unexpectedly, they glided smoothly up and down his skin despite their firm pressure. At his faint noise of confusion, Sebastian chuckled. "I take it this is your first massage?" Ciel grunted, not caring to elaborate. "I have massage oil on my hands. I warmed it to body temperature so it wouldn't feel cold and slimy." Ciel grunted again, clearly not interested in conversation. Sebastian did not mind the silence at all.

Large, warm hands smoothed over his back and shoulders, rolling, pushing, and kneading the flawless pink-tinted porcelain skin as needed. They worked out knots as they went, even the nasty one in Ciel's lower back that he didn't even realize was there until it was gone. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ciel nuzzled down into his arms comfortably. It took everything Sebastian had not to snicker uncontrollably about how cute and child-like the little tyrant looked when he wasn't running his damn mouth.

He could almost forget how much he hated him. Almost.

Sebastian smoothed his fingers over the young man's hips and down to his outer thighs. He alternated back and forth between legs, diligently working the various muscles loose all the way to his toes. Slowly, so slowly, he began rubbing his way back up the inside of Ciel's legs, listening as the boy's breath sped up the higher he went. He rubbed small circles into Ciel's inner thighs, the legs slowly parting at his touch. Ciel panted lightly, making tiny, unconscious rutting motions into the sheets. Sebastian smirked, not wanting to ruin this moment by laughing. Instead, he ran his fingers firmly over Ciel's butt, kneading the flesh to earn himself a satisfying moan.

"Sebastian," Ciel whispered, too lethargic to move.

Hands still kneading, Sebastian leaned down to kiss between Ciel's shoulder blades, hair tickling his skin. "Yes, Ciel?" he cooed.

Ciel shivered at how the honeyed voice rolled his name. Without opening his eye, he commanded, "Touch me."

Sebastian gave a firm squeeze to Ciel's butt and slid his thumbs lower, to ghost over the back edges of Ciel's balls. "But I am touching you."

Ciel groaned. "You know what I –" his voice cut out as a slick fingertip dragged across his sack. Sebastian's hand cupped him from behind and gently fondled him. "Yes – that," he panted, lifting his hips. "More. _Touch_ me."

Sebastian reached the other hand around Ciel's hip to grasp his member. Oiled skin slid up and down the velvety flesh easily. Ciel rocked into the touch, shuddering at how the sensitive tip of his cock brushed against the cotton sheets as Sebastian stroked him. The thumb of Sebastian's other hand came to rest behind Ciel's balls, applying pressure to his perineum and making the teen groan out incoherent gibberish. An oiled finger pressed at his entrance and Ciel tensed. Before he could complain, it had slipped inside and began massaging his inner walls.

"Nnn, Sebastian. No … don't wanna bottom," he grumbled, fidgeting and pulling away.

Sebastian chuckled lowly and leaned in to nibble Ciel's ear. "If that's truly what you want…." He hooked his finger, brushing the pad over a little bundle of nerves. Ciel gasped and shot up onto his elbows, unconsciously pushing back against the finger. Snickering, Sebastian added another finger and pushed over and over that spot as his other hand continued to pump Ciel's cock.

"Seba – I – wha – I'm," Ciel stuttered incoherently as his body twitched and jerked of its own accord. Electric tingles danced up and down his legs and bolts of white hot pleasure shot through his spine. This was like nothing he'd ever felt before. With a few more seconds of stimulation, he came hard and unexpectedly, painting himself and the sheets with copious amounts of creamy white. Ciel flopped bonelessly back onto his stomach, not caring about the mess in the slightest.

Minutes passed before Ciel could form words. "What. The hell. Was _that_?" he panted, face still planted in a pillow.

Chuckling, Sebastian finished wiping his hand clean on one of the damp towels he'd collected while Ciel was playing space cadet. "I believe it's called a 'Happy Ending,'" he said playfully with a faint accent.

"No, I mean," Ciel rolled onto his side to look up at Sebastian. "I know what a Happy Ending is. But that was … different."

"Ah," the garnet-eyed man said with a sudden flash of understanding. "I take it that was the first time you've had your prostate stimulated?"

Ciel looked away suddenly and grumbled defensively, "I'm not a bottom."

"Neither am I," Sebastian chuckled, leaning in to wipe the spunk from Ciel's chest and stomach with the soft, clean towel, "but it's still pleasant, isn't it?"

Ciel snorted. "'Pleasant?' That's an understatement." His head whipped back as he realized the first part of what Sebastian had said. "What do you mean you're not a bottom? You do it for me."

Sebastian smiled ruefully. "Well, you don't give me much choice, do you?" Before Ciel could respond, he added, "Besides, like I said, it is pleasant." With a final small smile he turned and walked out, taking the towels to the hamper in the bathroom.

Ciel looked after him for a second, genuinely confused by the man's strange behavior today. Shaking his head, he decided he didn't care. By the time Sebastian returned, he already had his jeans back on and was tugging his t-shirt over his head. Sebastian poured himself a cup of tea and leaned against the dresser to sip it as he watched Ciel redress.

"In a hurry?"

Ciel spared him the barest of glances before stuffing his feet into his shoes and muttering, "I did tell you I have other shit to do, so I guess your ass is safe for today." He tried to check the time on his phone, but the battery was dead. Strange. Shaking his head, he shoved it in his pocket to deal with later.

Sebastian hid his smile with his little cup of tea and wisely chose not to say anything.

With a final glance around, Ciel was satisfied that he'd picked up everything he'd entered with. Not bothering to look back, he walked out into the living room, calling, "Later," over his shoulder. Sebastian heard the front door slam closed.

All in all, Sebastian would label day one of Plan B a resounding success.

\---

The following Monday, Ciel showed up with donuts. It was the smallest of deviations from his usual coffee-or-nothing faire and Sebastian chose to take it as a good sign.

Ciel thunked the coffee carrier down on the desk and tossed the brown paper bag after it. At Sebastian's quirked brow, he grumbled, "Donuts. They were giving them away today." With that, he snatched his coffee and rustled out a chocolate donut before flopping into his chair like usual.

Sebastian nodded and claimed a plain cake for himself. As the silence stretched on, he finally asked, "How was your weekend?"

Ciel eyed him then shrugged. "Okay, I guess." Which was a lie. He had gotten a flat tire and missed work, getting in trouble for not calling in because his stupid phone was dead. He didn't want to share, though, so he left it at that and Sebastian didn't pry further.

On Wednesday, Ciel repeated his donuts and coffee delivery. When Sebastian asked how work went the previous day, Ciel responded with the same, "Okay, I guess." Also untrue. He was in trouble again, this time for misplacing his apron, a most un-Ciel Phantomhive-like action. He still didn't want to share, but this time he followed his response with a grunted, "Yours?"

Sebastian smiled. "Very well, thank you." He sipped his coffee before explaining, "I just started covering Sun Tzu in my Ancient Philosophy class. He's one of my favorites to teach."

Ciel looked up. "Sun Tzu, wasn't he that samurai strategist? I've heard a lot of his quotes."

Sebastian nodded. " _The Art of War_. He was Chinese, not Japanese though."

Ciel regarded him with interested eyes. "That does sound fun."

Sebastian rolled his chair over to the bookcase, now filled with all manner of books and knickknacks it had been lacking at the start of term. He pulled down an oversized copy of _The Art of War_ and handed it to Ciel. "Here, this is a good one. It has annotations along the margins and cultural notes at the end of each chapter."

Ciel took the book and flipped through. "Cool. Thanks. I'll get it back to you next week."

Sebastian waved his hand. "No rush."

They spent the rest of their pre-class time in comfortable silence as Ciel flipped pages and Sebastian turned his attention to the papers on his desk, slipping on a thin pair of oval-framed reading glasses.

On Friday morning, Ciel entered emptyhanded and immediately asked, "Are you free tonight?"

Looking up at Ciel's sudden arrival and question, Sebastian stared for a second before responding, "Yes, why?"

"For our deal of course," he scoffed, flopping into his usual seat. Ciel looked down at his messenger bag and picked at a loose thread before adding, "I'm in the mood for a proper bed today."

Sebastian smirked, amused at being – sort of – asked for the first time rather than ordered. Normally it felt like the little runt went out his way to inconvenience him. "Yes, my lord. Your place or mine?"

"Yours," Ciel responded immediately. The idea of being able to leave exactly when he wanted appealed to his control-freak nature. Not having to clean up was also a bonus. And honestly, he avoided bringing people to his place because it was nowhere near broke-college-student standard – a fact which often raised too many questions.

Sebastian nodded. "Very well. Meet me there any time after seven."

Mission accomplished, Ciel nodded and jumped back up to leave. "See you then."

When Ciel knocked on Sebastian's door that evening, he was once again surprised by what he found inside. This time it was something infinitely more alluring than stupid candles: _food_. His stomach rumbled at the rich aroma of spaghetti sauce and garlic bread. Sebastian, who had answered the door wearing a plain black apron to shield his work clothes from splatters, was completely ignored as Ciel pushed past him and made a beeline for the kitchen.

"And hello to you, too," Sebastian spoke to the back of Ciel's head. He closed the door and followed, watching Ciel eye the big pot on the stove with what could only be described as lust. The boy stared transfixed at the bubbling mass before tentatively pulling out the wooden spoon and taking a lick. He jerked as the hot sauce burned his tongue.

"Careful," Sebastian chided, taking the spoon from his hand. Ciel grimaced, rubbing his burned tongue against the roof of his mouth. Chucking, Sebastian tipped Ciel's chin up with his free hand and said, "Let me see." Ever the little brat, Ciel immediately made a rude face and stuck his tongue out – only to have it captured by Sebastian's warm mouth. He rolled his own tongue over Ciel's to soothe it as he caressed the boy's soft lips with his own. "Is that better?" he asked as he pulled back for air.

"Tch, no," Ciel scoffed. "But I think a big plate of spaghetti might help."

"My little lord is so cruel," Sebastian bantered as he pulled down two plates and started loading them with food.

"Whiny," Ciel muttered. He pushed himself off the counter he had been leaning against and migrated to the dining room. Sebastian entered to find the boy situated at the table, clearly waiting to be served. Without comment, Sebastian settled one plate in front of Ciel and another to his right, smirking at the gusto with which Ciel attacked the food.

"Do they not feed you at home?" Sebastian asked curiously, standing safely off to the side. He idly wondered if a nature documentary crew would be kicking down his door to film the animalistic savagery occurring at his table.

"Live alone," Ciel grunted between bites. "No family."

Sebastian nodded then turned to fetch two wine glasses and a bottle of red. As he was peeling the foil off the cheap screw-top bottle, he paused. "Damn, you're underage, aren't you?"

Ciel snorted (an impressive feat with a mouth full of spaghetti) and swallowed before reminding him, "You gave me liquor last time. Wine's tame by comparison."

"Ah," Sebastian countered, eyes glittering, "but I didn't know you were only eighteen last time. If we stunt your growth with alcohol, you'll be tiny forever."

Ciel glared, cheeks puffed like a chipmunk. He threw his napkin at Sebastian and snapped, "Just pour the damn wine. Bastard." Grinning, Sebastian poured two glasses and slid one over to the boy in silence. He finally settled down to begin his own meal just as Ciel popped up and announced he was getting seconds. Sebastian watched in interest as the second plate disappeared as rapidly as the first. Catching the older man's gaze on him, Ciel demanded, "What? I told you I love food. I wasn't kidding."

"I take it you liked it?" Sebastian asked with interest.

Ciel snorted at Sebastian fishing for a compliment. The food was absolutely magnificent, but he refused to stroke the older man's ego. "It was okay," he grunted dismissively. "I didn't come here to eat, you know."

Sebastian quirked a brow and carefully chewed another mouthful before responding, "Well, if we're being honest, I wasn't expecting to feed you." At Ciel's skeptical look, Sebastian pointed at the clock on the wall, which just now read 6:55. "You're not supposed to be here until after seven. I would have already had this finished and put up if you weren't so early."

Pink dusted Ciel's cheeks as he suddenly realized how rude his behavior was; inviting himself over, barging in early, demanding Sebastian serve him his own dinner - and then insulting it. Despite his usual bossy and aloof behavior, his parents had raised him with manners and this went too far for even him to ignore.

"I – I'm so sorry," Ciel said earnestly, meeting Sebastian's surprised red gaze. "That was rude of me. Here, I'll help you clean up." He scooped up his own plate and empty glass, shuttling them to the kitchen before Sebastian could object. When Sebastian entered the kitchen, he found Ciel already bent over the sink, bubbles up to his wrists as he scrubbed his dishes clean with a sponge. The fluorescent light brought out the hints of blue in his hair, making it unnaturally vibrant. Catching sight of Sebastian holding his own dishes, Ciel nodded and waved him over with an elbow. "I'll get yours, too. Just set them in the sink here."

"You don't have to –"

"I'm already covered in soap; a few more seconds won't make a difference." He took the dishes from Sebastian's hands and continued washing. "You're on your own with the pans though."

Sebastian watched in shock, subtly pinching himself to make sure he hadn't passed out and dreamed this strange behavior. When the sting in his arm didn't go away, he asked, "Not that I'm complaining, but what brought this on?"

Ciel snorted without looking up. "Don't think I'm going soft on you or anything. My mom would have killed me for bullying my way into someone else's house and food like that. I'm just trying to cut down on the earful I'll get when I die." There – that was an apology, wasn't it? Actions speaking louder than words and all that. He still refused to admit the food was good though. That would be going too far.

Sebastian was silent for a second before offering, "I'm sorry."

Ciel looked up at that, blue eye quizzical. "For what? I'm the asshole here."

"Your mother," Sebastian clarified. "You said you have no family earlier; have they all passed?"

Eye widening in understanding, Ciel quickly looked back down. "Yeah." He grabbed a folded towel off the countertop and began drying the clean dishes. "I still have an aunt and cousin, but we're not really close."

Sebastian nodded, taking the dishes to put away as Ciel dried them. "I don't have any family left either.

Ciel watched the taller man as he put up the last of the silverware. Choosing to change the uncomfortable topic, he grumbled, "Don't suppose you have anything sweet do you?"

A devious smirk wiped the grimness off Sebastian's face in an instant. "Yes, many things in fact," he answered smoothly. He rolled forward to trace a long finger under the younger male's fine jaw before leaning in in to whisper in his ear, "It all depends on what you're in the mood for."

A flush immediately painted Ciel's cheeks. The part of him that really, really wanted cake launched a nuclear war against the sudden, rebellious faction demanding something explicitly NOT cake. He licked his lips and watched as Sebastian's crimson gaze locked onto the movement. Placing his mouth so close their lips brushed as he spoke, Ciel murmured, "Mmm. I know exactly what I want." He flicked his tongue out to nudge Sebastian's lips. "I want something hot." Lick. "And creamy." Lick.

Sebastian shuddered – and mauled the boy. Ciel found himself plastered against the counter before he could even blink, Sebastian's hungry hands roaming under his shirt, greedy mouth practically devouring him.

"Bed," Ciel panted, hands hopelessly snarled in Sebastian's hair.

Sebastian immediately scooped him up, one hand under each thigh, torsos still crushed together as their tongues tangled. Through muscle memory alone he made it into the bedroom, his total attention fixated on the silver-tongued brat in his arms. They fell onto the bed in a heap of grasping hands and flailing legs, desperately rutting together. Clothing flew as both parties fought to disrobe the other.

With a surprising show of strength, Ciel flipped them so that he was situated on top. Nimble little fingers robbed Sebastian of his pants and boxers, laying him bare to the room. A ravenous mouth enveloped Sebastian's engorged flesh without warning, swallowing him down to the base in one quick movement.

"G-god _damn_ ," the raven-haired man stuttered, eyes popping wide at the sudden wet heat. His hands snapped to the head at his crotch, clutching it as if hanging on for dear life. Ciel hadn't demanded any sexual activity since the previous Friday and Sebastian had been too busy hating him to remember how amazing it felt. He felt his anger dripping away in the heat of that glorious mouth.

"Mmmm," Ciel hummed, the vibrations sending Sebastian wild. He pulled back to lap at the sensitive head, swirling his tongue all over and around before suckling the tip gently. Small hands kneaded the insides of Sebastian's thighs like a little kitten as Ciel bobbed his head once more.

"Ciel," Sebastian moaned, back arched. His eyes were squeezed shut as he panted, fighting against his release. His masculine pride refused to allow him to come so soon. He chanced a glance down once he felt he had it under control only to come unglued at the sight of a bottomless ocean blue eye staring back up at him. "Shit!" he called as he orgasmed.

Ciel drank it down, allowing him to thrust lightly until he was done. With a smirk, he crawled up Sebastian's glistening form to kiss the man's mouth. That taste of himself on Ciel's tongue made Sebastian's body tremble with delight. Feeling the smaller male's rigid flesh digging painfully into his hip, Sebastian broke the kiss to dig in his nightstand, retrieving a bottle of lube.

"Wait," Ciel commanded, placing a hand on Sebastian's wrist to keep the bottle from coming any closer. Not understanding, Sebastian cocked his head and waited for an explanation. "I, um," Ciel looked down, a faint blush on his cheeks. "You're not a bottom," he finally said. "I didn't know you didn't like it or I wouldn't have … you know."

Sebastian blinked slowly for a few seconds as puzzle pieces clicked together. The donuts. The lack of sex. The good behavior. This was Ciel's way of making nice because he felt guilty. Sebastian laughed at the absurdity. Ciel had blackmailed him, threatened his job, blew him off to have sex with someone else, and bragged about what he'd done to Sebastian's coworker – and the one thing Sebastian didn't mind doing was what made him grow a conscience? He would never understand this kid.

"What?" Ciel asked, an innocent blue eye peering up at Sebastian, wondering why he was laughing.

Calming himself to a low chuckle, Sebastian patted Ciel's head, "I don't mind bottoming for you. Honestly. Didn't I tell you it was pleasant?"

Ciel's pink cheeks reddened even more. "Yes, but … as long as you're sure?" he asking, giving Sebastian one more chance to back out.

"Is this your way of offering your ass up?" Sebastian asked playfully.

"N-no," Ciel said quickly, backing away slightly.

Sebastian smirked and booped Ciel on the nose with a finger. "You're too cute." He extracted his hand from Ciel's and clicked open the plastic bottle. Ciel immediately took it and coated his own fingers with a generous amount of lube, preparing Sebastian with extra care before sliding himself in gently.

"Ciel," Sebastian groaned in irritation at the obnoxiously slow and soft pace Ciel seemed intent on holding. "I'm not going to break." Ciel bit his lip and pushed a little harder. Sebastian was painfully aroused and Ciel's light little thrusts were doing nothing to help him find release. Ciel was clearly still worried despite his reassurances. "Harder. _Harder_." Sighing in frustration when his request was ignored, Sebastian glared up at the body hovering over him and demanded harshly, "Fuck me properly or I'll show you how it's done."

Ciel paused. "You wouldn't dare."

"Let's find out," Sebastian snarled. He was beginning to loathe this brat again. He reached up to grab Ciel by the shoulders and roughly pulled him down, rolling them over to flip their positions. Ciel's eye widened in panic and he clamped his legs together, barely getting out a startled "No!" before Sebastian straddled him and impaled himself on Ciel's cock once again. He paused briefly to ask, "No?"

Ciel gasped. He looked away quickly before mumbling, "I thought you were going to – never mind."

Sebastian's frustration simmered down as he realized what Ciel thought he was going to do. He put a hand to the boy's face and turned it to look at him. "Hey, I wouldn't do that," he explained patiently. "Not like that, okay?" Ciel nodded, looking relieved. "You want to keep going?" Ciel nodded. This time Sebastian set the pace, riding Ciel hard and fast. The sudden change in tempo did wonders, sending them both careening over the edge before they barely started panting hard.

"Wow," Ciel huffed.

Sebastian snorted, head resting on Ciel's shoulder. "See? Wasn't that better?" Ciel stayed stubbornly silent, which just made Sebastian chuff a laugh as he rolled off the boy. _Brat_ , he thought fondly.

"Come on, you stubborn little snot," Sebastian called as he walked toward the bathroom. "I've got cake. Let's get cleaned up and I'll give you some."

Ciel didn't have to be told twice.


	6. Chapter 6

To Sebastian's complete surprise, Ciel had agreed to stay the night. He spent it curled up on the far edge of the bed and kicked away any body part he felt was too close, but he had stayed and Sebastian counted that as progress.

Morning light slipped through the curtains, a cruel white beam cutting straight across Ciel's face. He scrunched his nose and rolled over to bury his face in a pillow – only to freeze as his arm hit another body.

"Morning, sleepy head," Sebastian rumbled. Ciel jerked back, royal blue eye flying wide open as he gasped. He slid back so far he almost fell off the bed. Sebastian propped himself up on an elbow and raised a brow. "Not the reaction I usually get, but okay."

Ciel glared. "Shut up." His frantically beating heart slowed as he looked around, recognizing Sebastian's room and remembering that he had elected to stay over rather than drive home after gorging on cake and wine.

Sebastian smiled and reached out to brush a lock of hair behind Ciel's ear, pausing as he felt the string of the eyepatch under his fingertips. "Do you always sleep in that?"

Ciel stared at him quizzically until Sebastian tugged on the string to show what he was talking about. Understanding flooded Ciel and he pulled back slightly before shaking his head. "No, I take it off at home."

"But not around other people?" Sebastian guessed. Ciel shook his head. "Not even while sleeping? That can't be comfortable." Ciel scoffed and glared, clearly not in the mood to talk about it. Throwing up his hands, Sebastian said, "Fine, not my business anyway. Just know that I don't care if you do. Do you like pancakes?"

Ciel's brows shot up, abandoning their previous scowl at the thought of food. "Hell yeah, but only if there's butter and syrup."

Sebastian slapped a hand to his bare chest as if offended. "What kind of savage do you take me for? Of course there is." He slid out of the bed and padded barefoot into the kitchen, still wearing the flannel pajama bottoms Ciel had insisted he sleep in. As he cooked, he heard shuffling and the click of the bathroom door telling him Ciel was up and moving. The boy came out dressed in his clothes from the previous day: well-worn jeans and a navy pullover.

"Just in time," Sebastian noted, sliding a plate of four golden pancakes onto the counter in front of Ciel. "Butter and syrup are already on the table. What would you like to drink?"

Catching sight of the full coffee pot, Ciel said, "Coffee's fine." Sebastian nodded and set about cooking his own food as Ciel fixed a drink and wandered off into the dining area.

"Did you put any coffee in your sugar-milk?" Sebastian teased when he finally sat down with his food. Ciel just stuck out his tongue and kept eating without deigning to despond. "What are your plans today?"

Ciel pulled out his phone to check the time, but it was dead. Again. Stupid thing. He glanced around until he found a clock. "I've got to head in to work soon."

"Oh? Where do you work?" Sebastian asked, realizing for the first time that he didn't know. His original assumption that Ciel worked at the college still clung to the back of his mind despite the fact he knew it was wrong.

"Book store," Ciel said simply before downing the last of his coffee.

Sebastian nodded. He could see the scholarly young man being right at home surrounded by a store full of tomes. "Which one?"

Ciel snorted. "What, are you gonna stalk me or something?"

Sebastian shrugged. "Just making conversation."

"Whatever. I've got about half an hour before I need to leave. Is it cool if I read on your couch for a bit?" At Sebastian's agreement, he dragged his messenger bag over to the sofa and settled in, leaving Sebastian to clean up breakfast which did not surprise the older man in the least. Once the table was clear, Sebastian snagged a t-shirt, put on his reading glasses, pulled a stack of papers out of his briefcase, and set to grading. The silence lasted all of three seconds.

"What are you working on?"

"I'm grading homework," Sebastian answered without looking up. He sighed at an especially stupid answer, the scratch of his pen filling the silence.

"You wouldn't have to grade it if you didn't give it."

With a snort, Sebastian countered, "If I didn't give it, you lot wouldn't learn anything."

"We'd still have tests and lectures," Ciel argued, putting down his book and swiveling to face Sebastian.

Finally looking up at Ciel over his thin reading glasses, Sebastian smirked. "Lectures you'd skip and tests you'd fail."

Ciel huffed. "Please, ask me anything right now and tell me I'd fail your test."

Turning to face the boy, Sebastian laced his fingers. "Very well. Interpret Plato's 'Allegory of the Cave' for me."

Ciel was silent for a pregnant second. Sebastian stared to smirk, taking his silence as an admission of ignorance before Ciel calmly noted, "That's a rather broad question. Would you like me to interpret it politically or epistemologically?"

Arching a brow, Sebastian allowed, "I suppose that's enough of an answer in itself. Why did Thomas Hobbes support an absolutist central state?"

Ciel barked a laugh and sat up straighter. "Not that we've gotten anywhere _close_ to that in class yet, but Hobbes believed the state of nature to be 'war of all against all' – essentially that left to our own devices we would devolve into a nasty, brutish society of savages." At Sebastian's surprised face, Ciel grinned fiercely and added, "This is, of course, opposed by the concept of 'the noble savage' embraced by others who believe humanity's natural state to be good. Should I go on?"

Chuckling, Sebastian waved a hand, "No, no, you've made your point. Very good, Phantomhive."

Ciel batted his eyelashes and puffed out his chest like the obnoxious girl who sits at the other end of the front row in class. "Why, thank you _Mister_ Michaelis," he breathed in an imitation of her over-the-top flirting.

Sebastian snorted a painful laugh. "You noticed her, too, huh?"

Rolling his eye, Ciel responded, "I think it's safe to say that _everyone_ has noticed her. Strangely, most of the guys think it's adorable." Sebastian harrumphed in disagreement. "Well, did I pass, teach?"

"Like you don't know," Sebastian teased, turning back to his papers. "I'll give you that you would be okay without homework, but the others definitely need it." As if to illustrate his point, he flipped to the next page and sighed loudly. "For example, McMillan is _still_ calling Aristotle 'Aeropostale.'"

"He is _not_ ," Ciel gasped. Sebastian waved a hand at the page in question and Ciel wandered over in horrified silence to gape. "My god."

"Welcome to the glorious life of a teacher. Students like you are few and far between; the vast majority are … this." As if in explanation, he spread out the class's homework, letting Ciel feast his appalled eye on the work of his classmates. Sloppy handwriting, suspicious stains, unanswered questions, and glaringly wrong answers stared back at him, making the boy shudder.

Ciel's eye scanned the pages before noticing that his own was still in the briefcase. He pulled out the crisp white page filled with neat, blue ink handwriting. He wanted to make sure Sebastian didn't forget it, however it already had a circled red A in the top corner.

"Did you expect any less?" Sebastian asked with amusement.

"Of course not," Ciel scoffed, putting it back. "I just didn't see it out here and wanted to make sure you weren't going to fail me over your mistake."

Sebastian laughed. "Please. You're the only one keeping me sane in that class. I hate one-oh-ones. No one wants to be there and most of them are too green to understand what's expected of them at a college level. It's practically babysitting."

A tiny pleased thrill ran through Ciel at the praise. "So, I guess that means I'm not getting out of the homework then?"

"Hell no. I'd go mad if all I had to look at was this," he said, jerking a disgusted hand at the crinkled, sloppy pages on the table in front of them.

With one last shudder, Ciel turned away and allowed, "Fine, since it's clearly for the greater good, I'll keep doing it." He put his book back in his bag once he reached the coffee table. "And on that depressing note, I'm out. See you Monday."

Sebastian hummed without looking up until the door clicked closed behind Ciel.

\---

"We're going out to eat tonight," Sebastian announced on Monday morning after he'd finished his coffee.

"We are? Why?" Ciel eyed him curiously from behind a book.

"I thought you'd enjoy a big, cheesy pizza from the new pizzeria on the other end of town. I hear they're to die for." Sebastian could practically hear Ciel drooling despite having just devoured three donuts. However, the boy didn't immediately jump on the offer. With feigned disinterest, Sebastian flicked over another page in his own reading before adding, "Well, I'm going either way. You're welcome to tag along if you're free."

After a moment of silent consideration, Ciel decided that free pizza couldn't be all bad. "You're on."

Ciel met Sebastian back in his office after six. As they left, Ciel couldn't help keeping an eye out for Claude despite knowing the man had no reason to harass them. Thankfully, his office door was closed and he was nowhere in sight. However, these looks did not go unnoticed by Sebastian, who ground his teeth thinking Ciel was trying to catch sight of Claude for an entirely different reason.

"So," Sebastian said suddenly, trying to draw Ciel's attention. "What do you like on your pizza?"

The younger man's head snapped back around to look at him. "Um, I normally get pepperoni or meat lover's, but anything's fine. I'm an equal opportunity glutton."

Sebastian chuckled darkly. _What an understatement that is_ , he thought sorely. "Both of those sound good," he agreed, leading the boy to the teacher's parking lot. The late afternoon sun beat down on them as they crossed the pavement, providing a fleeting moment of golden warmth. Sebastian opened the passenger door of his nondescript sedan with a flourish, inviting Ciel inside. The boy just looked at him like he was insane before shaking his head and settling in. Sebastian neatly folded his suitcoat and set it on the backseat before climbing behind the wheel.

"How did you even hear about this place, anyway?" Ciel asked as Sebastian put the car into gear. "It's kind of far to go just for a pizza."

Glancing behind him as he pulled out of the parking spot, Sebastian absently answered, "One of my coworkers is a foodie. He tries every new place as soon as it opens."

"Oh? I guess he must have liked it."

Sebastian laughed. "Not at all. That bastard has the weirdest taste. He said it was the blandest, most boring food he's ever eaten. Considering what he actually _does_ like, the rest of the department took it as a gold star of approval for normal taste buds. A few others have tried it since and won't shut up about how amazing it is so I wanted to see for myself."

Ciel side eyed him. "You're all insane."

"We actually spent the time and money to get advanced degrees in Philosophy; you're not nearly the first person to call us that."

Ciel barked a laugh. "Yeah, I guess that's true. My dad would have shit a brick if I'd majored in Philosophy."

Arching a brow, Sebastian asked, "And exactly what makes English a more useful major?"

"Not a damn thing, that's why it's not mine."

Surprised, Sebastian tore his eyes off the road to look at Ciel. "What? I know I've called you an English major before and you've never corrected me."

The boy just shrugged, looking out the window. "It wasn't important. I wish I were an English major, though."

"Well, well," Sebastian mused, "color me surprised. What is your oh-so-useful major then?" Ciel grumbled and slunk down in his seat. "What was that?" Sebastian asked, glancing over again.

"Business," Ciel spat a little louder but with no less venom.

Sebastian laughed hard and long, partly at the young man's behavior, partly in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding." Ciel remained silent. "There's no way you're a business major." Sebastian could not picture the grumpy, baby-faced, ripped-jean-wearing, literature-loving boy next to him in a business suit.

"Oh? And why is that?" Ciel challenged, turning to glare.

"Well, firstly, I've known you for about three weeks now. Your nose is always buried in a book but not once have I ever seen you look at anything vaguely business-like."

"So? It's my first semester of college. I can't take _all_ my classes _all_ the time. And besides, it's just boring math until I get to the higher levels."

"'Just boring math'? How can you possibly be a Business major if you're not good at math?"

"I'm actually _excellent_ at math, thank you," Ciel huffed, crossing his arms. "That's why it's boring."

Sebastian chuckled. _This kid just gets more and more amusing_. "Okay then, if you hate it so much, why are you majoring in Business?"

"What the hell's with all the questions?" Ciel demanded, bristling.

"It's called conversation. You're interesting and I want to hear more about you. If you don't want to talk about yourself, maybe you could ask me something."

"Tch. Maybe we could just not talk?"

"If you want. It'll be a long and boring drive, though." Sebastian said no more, letting the car go quiet.

The silence stretched out for nearly five minutes until Ciel finally broke and asked, "So, you were a masseuse?"

Without hesitating, Sebastian responded, "I was. It was a job I held during college to pay my living expenses. The pay was decent, but I always wanted to be a teacher."

Ciel laughed at that. "And now that you've had the full experience of flirty girls and idiot students, do you still want to teach?"

"Definitely," Sebastian said with passion. "I get to share a subject I love with fresh minds and even if I only connect with one or two, it's worth it. I still remember my favorite teachers very clearly. Many of the things they said still resonate with me to this day and I want to have that kind of positive impact on other students."

"That's very … noble of you, I suppose," Ciel said, surprised by the emotion in the older man's voice.

Sebastian snorted. "Not entirely. I also don't like living in a world full of idiots. If I can wedge some common sense into dense minds I might just make things easier for myself."

Ciel laughed, unconvinced by Sebastian's gruff words. His passion for teaching was too real to write off as cynical self-interest. "That's kind of why I like literature. I love the way other people's words can impact me, even if they've been dead for centuries."

Sebastian nodded. "I enjoy seeing that certain experiences are universal constants, no matter the time or place. Like Aesop's Fables – it doesn't matter that they were written over two thousand years ago; we're still dealing with the same simple issues today."

Ciel made a sound of agreement and glanced out the window. "How much farther?"

"Not far." Slanting his eyes over, Sebastian teased, "Is this your way of asking 'are we there yet?'" Ciel stuck out his tongue brattily and chose not to respond. "I bet you were a handful growing up."

Ciel made a noise somewhere between a snort and laugh. "You don't know the half of it." He smiled fondly, reminiscing. "I honestly don't know how my parents put up with me sometimes. I could be a real brat back then."

"Back then?"

"Oh, ha-ha," Ciel deadpanned. "Yes back then." He paused for a moment, then laughed in genuine amusement and couldn't help but share quietly, "I coated the dog in honey once."

Sebastian choked, slapping a hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter. He was horrified for the sake of the poor animal, but damn if that mental image wasn't amusing. "Good god, _why_?"

Ciel shrugged, still chuckling. "How the hell should I know? I was six. I'm sure it made sense at the time."

Snickering, Sebastian allowed, "Yes, I suppose I have to concede you were more of a brat back then. I honestly don't know what I would have done in your parents' place."

Soft smile on his face, Ciel explained, "They were actually surprisingly cool about it. I don't know how they kept their calm so well, but I don't ever remember them yelling at me for anything. I know I wouldn't have been able put up with me without losing my mind."

Sebastian placed a large hand on Ciel's thigh comfortingly. "They sound great."

"They really were." He slipped his own smaller hand over Sebastian's and looked down at them intently. He paused for a few seconds before suddenly sharing, "They died when I was sixteen. In a house fire of all things." He shook his head. "It was so … ordinary. No one noticed the fire until it was too late. I made it outside and waited forever, but they never came. They were just – poof. Gone."

Sebastian flipped his hand over to squeeze Ciel's. He took his eyes off the road briefly to look at the younger man as he said earnestly, "I'm sorry." Noticing Ciel's other hand resting over his eyepatch, he asked, "Is that what happened to your eye?"

Ciel quickly took his hand down. "Yeah, sort of. One of the windows exploded while I was waiting outside. It must have been from the heat or pressure or something. A piece of glass got into my eye and damaged it." He laughed humorlessly before adding, "See? It was so ordinary it's almost stupid."

"I don't think it was stupid at all," Sebastian comforted, giving he boy's hand another squeeze.

"If my life were a book it would have been daring and dramatic. There would have been bombs and helicopters, and at least one shark with a laser," Ciel quipped, eager to move the conversation on to something less serious.

"A laser gun? Strapped to its head maybe?" Sebastian asked, playing along.

"Of course. And a big James Bond escape-from-death scenario with volcanoes and countdowns."

"That does sound dramatic, but I think it would play out better as a movie, complete with big explosions and flashy colors," Sebastian mused, chuckling to himself as he pictured Ciel running around in a big Hollywood film.

"Maybe, but the book is always better," Ciel stated with an air of finality, tucking a lock of slate-colored hair behind his ear.

Sebastian conceded the point with a nod as he pulled into a tiny parking lot and claimed a spot near the little red-roofed building. "We're here."

On cue, Ciel's stomach growled. "Well, looks like your claims are about to be put to the test. If this isn't the best pizza I've ever had, you're taking me to get a better one – and don't think I won't make you."

Chuckling, Sebastian exited the car and followed Ciel up the walk. "I wouldn't put it past you to do that regardless. I've seen how you eat. It might take two stops to fill up that black hole of yours." Ciel blew a raspberry over his shoulder before entering the restaurant.

Forty minutes later, Ciel reclined into the red vinyl booth with both hands over his stomach. "Ugh, I don't think I can eat another bite." He ran his hand up and down the noticeable protrusion in his abdomen, fighting the urge to puke when he pushed too hard.

"Are you sure?" Sebastian asked, waggling the last slice at him. "It would be a shame to let this go to waste." Grease dripped from the pointed tip and Ciel turned an interesting shade of almost green.

"Positive. Put that down; I can't even think about food right now," the boy huffed, looking away. His eyelid drooped and he could feel a food coma coming on. _I regret nothing_ , Ciel thought firmly, shifting to get more comfortable before resting his eye.

Grinning, the raven-haired man let the pizza drop back onto the metal serving pan. "So, I take it the food met your standards?"

Ciel was too full and tired to even consider his usual level of sarcasm. Instead, he just nodded sleepily and leaned fully against the wall. That truly was the best pizza he'd ever eaten. He must have dozed off, because the next thing he felt was Sebastian's hand shaking his shoulder. "Come on, Sleeping Beauty. Let's get you home." Ciel murmured some nonsense, but stumbled to his feet and made it to Sebastian's car unassisted. He heard a deep rumbling chuckle and felt Sebastian lean over him from the driver's side of the car to fasten his seatbelt on.

"Where do you live, Ciel?" The boy muttered something like _Edge of the Water_. Sebastian had him repeat himself a few times before he gave up and asked for an address. Sebastian punched the street address into his phone to pull up a map and nodded when a place called Edgewater popped up. It wasn't too far from his own apartment. He drove in near silence, the radio playing very softly so as not to wake Ciel. As he drew closer, his eyes widened at the buildings. He circled the block once to make sure he was in the right place before parking next to a beautiful glass complex on the river.

The sleep must have done Ciel some good. He roused easier and walked steadier, leading Sebastian through a wood-panned reception area, into a nice elevator, and down a comfortable hall without stumbling or speaking. Sebastian watched with interest as Ciel pulled out a strangely full keychain and flipped through a wide variety of keys. Dexterous little fingers picked out the plainest-looking silver one and slid it into the locks with the ease of muscle memory. Ciel carelessly tossed his bag to the right of the door as he entered and made a beeline for his bedroom.

Curious garnet eyes rolled over the space inside before stepping past the door. There was a nice little kitchen immediately to his right which was open to the seating area just past it. The walls were standard apartment white, but the ceiling was high and smooth. An entire wall of windows showed a nice little balcony on the far side of the living room. Beyond that was a magnificent view of skyscrapers, their lights twinkling in the dark. Sebastian let out a low whistle as he stepped further in.

Ciel jumped like a scalded cat at sound and jerked around, seemingly startled to find at the tall, dark-haired, pale-skinned man looming in the doorway of his apartment.

Brows furrowed, Ciel angrily demanded, "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Sebastian's lips rounded into a surprised **O** at the boy's question. Eyes wide, he asked, "Um, taking you home, I think?"

Ciel blinked at him silently for five long seconds before a wave of recognition crashed over him. He slapped a hand to his face in embarrassment. "I – sorry. I wasn't, I mean, I thought you were –" he stammered. He ran both hands over his face and pushed back his hair before walking up to place a hand on Sebastian's arm. "Please, come in," he gestured at the living room graciously before reaching behind Sebastian to close the door.

Sebastian sank into one of the plush white tufted chairs and lifted a brow at the flustered boy. "That was by far the strangest thank-you anyone has ever given me."

Ciel flushed a deeper shade of scarlet and pushed his bangs up with one hand, leaving it resting on his forehead as he explained, "Um, sorry about that. I think I was still half asleep. I didn't even realize you'd followed me up." He chewed his bottom lip nervously, clearly debating something before slinking up to perch on the very edge of the black loveseat near Sebastian's chair. He opened his mouth to explain that his tired brain had mistaken him for Clau – someone else, but thought better of it. He didn't even want to think that name right now.

Sebastian chucked at the boy's distress. _This little creature just gets more and more entertaining._ He watched as Ciel stared hard at the floor, likely wishing for it to swallow him up. To break the silence, Sebastian looked around and offered, "Nice place."

Ciel's eye darted up nervously, then back down to his feet. "Thanks."

Lip quirked, Sebastian noted, "If this is the kind of place bookstore cashiers can afford, I'm definitely in the wrong business."

Ciel's mouth pinched, but he didn't respond. Standing up and taking a few steps away, he offered, "Would you like something to drink?" At Sebastian's head shake of refusal, he continued toward the hall, calling over his shoulder, "I'll be back in a minute. Make yourself at home." The click of a door latching echoed through the silent apartment.

_If you insist,_ Sebastian thought with delight. He immediately stood and began pawing through Ciel's things in an attempt to learn more about him, not that there was much to be found other than books. Books on the glass coffee table. Books on the many shelves around the living room. Books in the entertainment center where normal college boys would have games. It was clear he wasn't expecting company from the few dishes waiting in the sink and a light smattering of clothes and papers scattered around, but it was certainly cleaner than Sebastian's own apartment had been at that age. Still, there was nothing of note out here.

Sebastian quickly roamed into the second bedroom, which turned out to be some kind of home office. It had a nice desktop computer and speaker system, but was otherwise exactly like the rest of the book-coated house. However, a single row of neatly placed toys caught his eye. There were small plastic figurines and little stuffed bunnies, all in bright, childish colors but seemingly untouched. _What an odd collection_. He poked at them and picked up a few for closer examination, but nothing stood out as particularly important.

Gleaning no useful information from the strange array of toys, he moved on to the paper waste basket where he found torn up drafts of a business report. _Something about marketing from the looks of it._ _I guess he is a business major after all_ , Sebastian mused. _I almost didn't believe him_. He paused briefly with his long, sensitive fingers resting on the office's closet door, listening for signs of Ciel's return. Hearing nothing, he opened it up and stared in confusion at a wardrobe full of business suits in plastic drycleaner bags. _What the hell does an eighteen-year-old kid need ten damn suits for?_ Hearing footsteps, he swiftly closed the door and stalked back down the hall to the living room, his long legs eating the distance easily.

When Ciel rounded the corner, Sebastian was leaning back in the white chair with his long legs crossed, a magazine in hand. Crimson eyes flashed up to find Ciel had changed into cozy gray sweats and splashed some water onto his face.

The boy padded over silently on bare feet and curled up into a ball in one corner of the couch. He dipped his head to read the cover of the magazine in Sebastian's hands and tensed slightly. "I didn't know you spoke Japanese."

Sebastian looked down and mentally cursed. He had grabbed the first thing his hand landed on in an attempt to look innocent – he had no idea it was in a foreign language because he hadn't actually been _reading_ it. Clearing his throat, he closed it and placed it back on the table. "I don't really. It just looked interesting," he offered. With a dazzling smile, he flipped the topic of conversation back around. "I had no idea _you_ were bilingual, though."

"It's good for business," Ciel shrugged. The younger man looked strangely … relieved? His reaction puzzled Sebastian, but the older man just shrugged it off as the boy being glad he wasn't mad over his strange outburst earlier. "Anyway, you're welcome to stay, but I'm afraid I don't have any clothes to fit you."

Sebastian dug his phone out of his pocket to check the time. "Thank you, but I'm afraid I need to go prep tomorrow's lessons. Tuesdays really are a bear."

Ciel nodded, for once not making any bratty demands. "Kay. See you Wednesday."

\---

"The new plan is going very well," Sebastian reported to Claude proudly the next morning. "He finally seems to be opening up to me. He spent the night at my place on Friday and I even made it into his apartment last night."

"Well," Claude said, eyes sparkling with interest as he leaned forward to rest his arms on his rosewood desk, "that certainly is progress. Tell me about it. Learn anything useful?"

Sebastian snorted and shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me."

Claude smiled wolfishly. "Now I have to know."

"His apartment is ridiculous. It's small, but it is on the water and has a view of the city. I swear the kitchen had granite countertops." Claude's brows rose as Sebastian spoke. "Yeah, I know. I didn't have that kind of place in college. Hell, I still don't."

"That _is_ interesting," Claude mused. "What else?"

Sebastian thought back. "He speaks Japanese, of all languages. He claims he learned it because it was good for business." Sebastian snapped his fingers and added, "Which is his major, by the way. Business. Not English like I originally, thought." Sebastian briefly considered sharing the story of Ciel's parents' death but decided against it. He doubted it would be useful to Claude. Besides, it seemed personal; he wouldn't betray Ciel's trust like that.

Claude stared at him, expression inscrutable as thoughts raced through his head like wildfire. "I see. This is all very interesting indeed," he murmured distractedly. It looked like the game was changing – and in more ways than one. A cruel smile curled the corner of Claude's lip as he looked forward to the chaos.


	7. Chapter 7

**Wednesday, September 24**

 

"Hey, are you busy tonight?" Ciel asked between bites of a messy powdered donut. The sugar puffed up as he bit into it, dusting his face and raining down to make stars on his dark blue hoodie.

Sebastian's lips turned up in the barest hint of a smile. The boy hadn't given him an order in almost two weeks and he didn't think Ciel was even conscious of the change. "Not at all. What do you have in mind?"

Ciel shrugged. "I was going to check out the new exhibits at the Museum and thought you might like to tag along. It won't hurt my feelings if you're not interested."

Sebastian's eyebrows rose. Well, this was certainly not what he expected. "That actually sounds great," he said truthfully. "I love art. Do you want to meet back here after your last class so we can ride together?"

Ciel shook his head. "The museum is about half a mile from my apartment. How about I just meet you there around seven?" At Sebastian's nod, he smiled and crammed the last bite of the donut into his face, chugging the dregs of his coffee. "Mmm, sugar. I'm almost awake now."

Sebastian chuckled. "I would hope so after three donuts and whatever giant Sugar-Frappa-Diabetes you just sucked down. I honestly don't know where you put it all."

Ciel just patted his flat stomach. "I dunno, but I'm not questioning it." He tossed his trash in Sebastian's bin and jumped up. "See you in class."

\---

Sebastian was standing outside the museum doors when Ciel walked up a little after seven. The boy was dressed the same as he had been that morning: navy hoody, black jeans, and dark brown leather boots. Looking with a careful eye, though, Sebastian could tell that the non-descript pieces were actually very well made and of a much higher quality than most broke college students could afford. His visit to Ciel's apartment had piqued his curiosity and the more attention he paid, the less Ciel Phantomhive added up.

"Ah, there you are. I was about to get worried you stood me up," Sebastian teased. He was still wearing his usual black suit and white shirt, fresh from work.

Ciel snorted and looked at his phone. "It's barely ten minutes after, you big baby. Come on, I've got the admission covered." Sebastian pulled a door open, letting the younger man enter first. He walked straight up to the counter where a pale figure with long silver hair stood. Ciel held up two fingers and the strange man cackled as he handed over two admission stickers.

"Long time no see, little Phantomhive," the man croaked, reaching out to fondly ruffle Ciel's hair like a child. Sebastian noted the long black talons on the end of the man's fingers with interest. He also wore a long, voluminous black coat despite the warm building.

"Stop that," Ciel groused, brushing his hair back into place.

"Aw, no smile for Uncle Unnie? How sad. I know! Tell me a joke instead."

"Now's not the time, Undertaker." He waved Sebastian forward and handed him one of the stickers. "We're here to see the art."

"A-a-a-ah," Undertaker drawled as his head tilted toward Sebastian. His eyes were covered by long, thick bangs but his mouth split into a large grin. "I see. You _are_ busy, aren't you?" he teased. Ciel's ears turned red at the man's tone. "Well, enjoy as long as you'd like. I'll be here until you're done."

Ciel waved a hand dismissively at the eccentric old coot as he wandered into the first exhibit, trusting Sebastian to follow.

Sebastian caught up to Ciel at some messy surrealist painting. He watched the boy stare for a while before clearing his throat and carefully noting, "He was … interesting." Ciel hummed in agreement. "Is he really your uncle?"

Ciel made a rude noise and shook his head. "Definitely not. He's just an old family friend. I would say age has addled his brain, but he's always been like that."

"Did you call him 'Undertaker'?" Sebastian asked curiously.

Ciel sighed. "Yeah. Don't even ask why; I don't know. It's the only name he ever tells anyone."

"Strange," Sebastian murmured, tilting his head at a canvas full of odd, melty shapes.

"That's an understatement," Ciel scoffed.

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence as they explored the museum, occasionally pointing things out or exchanging opinions. Around nine-fifteen Sebastian noticed the absence of other people. Not that the museum had been particularly crowded on a Wednesday night in September to begin with, but the dead silence was unnerving. "Um, Ciel, when does this place close?" Sebastian asked quietly.

"Whenever I leave," Ciel responded absently, engrossed in a silk screen.

Sebastian breathed a small laugh at that. It was such a Ciel response. "Fine then, when does it close for everyone else?"

"About thirty minutes ago. But Undertaker won't lock us in."

Sebastian rolled his eyes but didn't press it. He let Ciel wander to his heart's content, watching the wonder roll over the boy's face as he stared at the ancient Korean artifacts. The absence of his usual disdainful expression made him look half his age. A small, genuine smile even tugged at the corner of his little pink lips as he nodded at Sebastian to indicate he was done.

"Don't forget your pamphlets!" Undertaker called as they approached. He shoved a glossy brochure into Sebastian's hand as soon as he was close enough. Ciel stubbornly tucked his hands into his hoodie and glared. "Kekeke," Undertaker chuckled, putting the second one back in its holder. "Fine, fine. It's not like _you_ need it anyway, right?"

Sebastian flipped through it to see an outline of upcoming exhibits. "Thank you," he said politely. "Sorry for making you stay late."

Undertaker tapped his long nails together happily, making disturbing little _clicks_. "My pleasure. Anything for this little lamb here."

"Night, Undertaker," Ciel stated, almost politely. The tiny smile was back on his face as he walked out into the crisp night air.

"That was nice," Sebastian noted. "Definitely the best museum I've been to in a long time."

Ciel nodded, little smile widening slightly. "It was, wasn't it? I like coming here because they always have such great guest exhibits."

Sebastian nodded. "Would you like a lift back to your place? I know it's not far, but I would make me feel better if you didn't walk alone this late."

Ciel paused, his instinctive refusal to let anyone near his apartment flaring up. He stamped it out quickly, though. Sebastian had already seen it and he didn't want to be alone just yet. "Sure," he allowed, following Sebastian to his black sedan. To break the silence once they were seated, he asked, "So, what was your favorite?"

"The Vermeer," Sebastian said without hesitation. "His use of light is breathtaking and I love Renaissance art. Yours?"

Ciel chewed his lip and bounced his head side-to-side as he thought. "I don't know if I have a favorite. I liked the Korean artifacts, all the little carvings and tools. The surrealist paintings were fun, too." At the face Sebastian pulled, he asked, "What?"

"Nothing." When Ciel continued to stare, he admitted, "I don't really like surrealism. I will admit the ones we saw were technically well done, but … I don't know. I think there's just too much psychology going on for me to understand them."

"Isn't that kind of your forte, though? All that psychology and logic stuff?"

Sebastian shook his head quickly, not taking his eyes off the road. "Un-uh. Completely different fields. I'm a Philosopher; we study the nature of knowledge and examine reality logically. Psychologists delve into the messy, confusing world of the human mind and all its illogical thoughts and behaviors."

"Huh," Ciel said. "I didn't know there was that much of a difference."

"It's a common misconception, actually. Most of us in the Philosophy department were only dragged through a few very basic Psychology courses, much like I assume you will be. Well, with the exception of Claude –" _FUCK!_ Sebastian shouted at himself internally for letting the man's name drop. He continued on quickly, "Er, Mister Faustus."

Ciel tensed at the name. He stared straight ahead and kept his voice carefully light. "Oh? The one you introduced me to on the first day of school?"

_The one you blew me off to fuck on the first day of school_? Sebastian mocked internally in Ciel's innocent voice. Strangely, the thought was now more amusing than irritating. "Yeah," he said aloud, trying to keep the humor out of his voice. "He minored in Psychology. The rest of us can't really stand it."

Ciel nodded and turned to look out the window, fists clenched in his lap. He breathed slowly to calm down. When it was clear the Claude topic wouldn't continue, he relaxed and noticed Sebastian was pulling into the parking lot of his building. "Would you like to come up?"

Sebastian hesitated. He was about to reject the offer when he looked over at Ciel to see a big, hopeful blue eye reflected back at him. Instead, he smirked. "Sure." Ciel responded with a big smile, possibly the first _real_ smile Sebastian had ever seen him make. Not a smirk or a grin or a hint of an expression and certainly not the bitter, cynical, mocking one he was used to. A big, genuine smile. Like a brief flash of blinding light, it was gone as Ciel hopped out of the car and waited by the back for him. Sebastian sat for a surprised second before slowly climbing out and joining Ciel.

"Took you long enough, old man," Ciel teased lightly.

"Yeah, yeah," Sebastian said, placing a hand on Ciel's shoulder to urge him forward. "Give it another fourteen years and see how fast you are then, Speedy."

Ciel breathed a single huff of laughter before leading Sebastian into the building and up to his apartment. The sink still had a few dishes and there was the odd shoe poking out from under the sofa, but for a teenage boy, it was practically spotless. As Sebastian craned his neck around to examine the fine furniture and impressive view, he scratched that assessment – for a teenage boy, it was unreal.  

"What's with all the looking?" Ciel asked, kicking off his short boots and pushing them under the coffee table. He tucked his sock feet under him on the couch. "You were just here two days ago. It hasn't changed that much."

Sebastian smirked as he settled down on the couch next to Ciel and unlaced his own black Oxfords, placing them neatly under the table next to Ciel's little boots. "It's a very nice place," he noted, shrugging off his suit jacket and loosening his tie.

"It's tiny," Ciel countered. "Even smaller than yours."

"And yet infinitely finer. Much like its owner."

Ciel turned to gape at him. "Are you – did you just flirt with me?"

Sebastian chuckled, running the back of his knuckles over one of Ciel's smooth, porcelain cheeks. The soft pink tone of the boy's skin made his own ivory look even whiter. "Surely that's not a foreign concept to you?"

"N-no," Ciel snapped, immediately following it with a more honest, "Well, yes, I guess. No one's ever complimented me like that before." And it was true. People flirted crudely to get him into bed or praised his work, but never had anyone complimented _him_ like that. It made him feel oddly … tingly.

"Well, now," Sebastian said, showing his teeth, "we'll have to fix that, won't we?" He shifted to face Ciel more fully, cupping one soft cheek in a large palm and pushing his other hand under the young man's bangs to run his fingers through the soft hair, marveling at how the ashy slate had a faint blue tint. With his thumb, he traced a delicately arched brow in a similar, if slightly darker shade. "How could no one have complimented this amazing color? I've never seen anything like it." Ciel unconsciously leaned into the touch like a kitten wanting to be petted. "It's the second thing I noticed about you."

"Second?" Ciel asked, looking curiously up through thick lashes.

Sebastian smiled down at him and gently traced a fingertip under his exposed eye. "The first thing was this unbelievably blue eye. The most beautiful color I've ever seen."

Ciel blushed and ducked his head as a warm feeling welled up in his chest at Sebastian's words. _Get it together, idiot_ , he mentally berated himself. _Stop acting like a schoolgirl._ With that, Ciel sat up on his knees to put his face level with the older man's. He pushed back Sebastian's inky black locks to expose his face fully. "You're one to talk. Sometimes I swear your eyes are red. I didn't even know eyes could be that color."

Sebastian chucked, settling his hands on the boy's hips. When Ciel didn't pull away, he closed the distance to push their lips together. Ciel responded by shoving his little fingers deeper into Sebastian's hair to pull him closer. With an appreciative moan, Sebastian wrapped his arms around the boy to lift him bodily into his lap, running his palms up Ciel's thin back to feel the delicate bones and ridges. Ciel helpfully wrapped his legs around the larger man's waist, melting their bodies together. The kiss got messier as both parties stared panting, teeth clicking and tongues teasing.

Ciel gave a harsh tug to Sebastian's hair, making the older man throw back his head and groan. Ciel took the opportunity to lave at the exposed neck with his tongue, occasionally nipping or sucking. On one particularly hard suck by his ear, Sebastian fisted his hands in the boy's hair roughly as he moaned, "God, Ciel!" Ciel grinned and flicked his tongue over the lobe. He pulled back to mischievously ask, "Something wrong, professor?"

Rather than the panting mess he expected, Sebastian's face looked surprised. With a look of wonder, he reached out to trace a fingertip under Ciel's exposed right eye, the one normally covered by a black eye patch. "Violet," he whispered.

Ciel gasped and slapped a hand over his eye, looking around for his fallen eyepatch.

"Don't," Sebastian said, wrapping a hand around Ciel's wrist. "Please, don't hide from me." Ciel looked torn but didn't resist when Sebastian lowered his hand. Sebastian brushed the hair out of Ciel's face. His damaged eye was dark blue-violet with faint wisps of cloudy lavender. The skin around it was unblemished and smooth. "Beautiful," he murmured in awe.

Ciel looked down, tears prickling both eyes. "It's hideous," he spat, pulling away slightly.

Sebastian wrapped an arm around the boy's waist to keep him from escaping. He tilted Ciel's chin back up and stared hard at the boy's good eye until he met his gaze. "Not to me." When Ciel closed his eyes, Sebastian leaned in to place a gentle kiss on both lids. "As I tried to tell you the first night I took you home, you are the most beautiful creature I've ever seen."

Ciel sighed, shoulders relaxing. He slowly looked back up and Sebastian's breath caught at the dual-toned gaze. Ciel leaned in and kissed him sweetly, palms resting lightly on Sebastian's chest. Sebastian returned the kiss gently, stroking Ciel's hair softly so as not to scare him off. When the boy pulled back for air, Sebastian let him go without resistance.

The teen looked at him shyly for a minute before whispering, "I want you to take me."

Sebastian almost came in his pants right then. His arousal twitched hard under Ciel's thigh, demanding they take the boy at his word, but Sebastian had to ask, "Are you sure?"

Nodding, Ciel murmured. "I'm sure." He had actually thought about it a lot since the massage two weeks ago. What Sebastian had done had felt so good; he wanted to do it again, more fully, but had been nervous. After hearing Sebastian's words just now, though, he felt ready. Ciel stood and held out a hand. Sebastian took it immediately and followed Ciel into his bedroom. He hadn't explored this room on his last visit and it would have to stay that way for now because he had much more important things on his mind at the moment.

Ciel crawled to the center of the bed, tugging Sebastian up after him. He immediately shed his hoodie and whatever shirt was under it to expose smooth, creamy flesh. Not stopping, he tugged down his jeans and boxers in one go, catching his socks on the way down. Completely nude, he stretched out on the black duvet, pearly skin glowing against the dark backdrop. Sebastian traced the creamy, nearly hairless flesh hungrily with his eyes. From the dark, lacy crescents his eyelashes made on his white cheeks to the sleek lines of his neck and shoulders to the faint blush of his pink nipples to the rosy head of his cock, resting full and aroused against his flat stomach – this boy was absolutely perfect.

Unnerved by the dead silence, Ciel propped himself up on his elbows and stared at Sebastian, slight frown creasing his brow. "Change your mind?" he asked archly.

"Never," Sebastian rasped, reaching out to run his hands over the feast of flesh before him. He straddled the slim hips and slid his palms up Ciel's sides lightly, exploring the soft skin and letting his white shirt cuffs drag along after to tickle. He brushed the pads of his thumbs over Ciel's nipples as he passed, making the boy moan and flop back down. Sebastian smiled at the response, leaning down to lap at one hardening nub.

"Nng, _Sebastian_ ," Ciel gasped, hand shooting up to clutch at the man's head.

Sebastian crawled up to brush his lips against Ciel's. "Yes?"

Ciel responded by kissing him deeply and bucking his hips up to rub against the older man's. "You might want to finish taking that suit off before it gets ruined," the boy panted, tugging on the loose tie that brushed his naked chest so nicely.

"Heaven forbid I create more dry-cleaning," Sebastian whispered against Ciel's lips, amused. He reluctantly broke away from the writhing mass of want under him and disrobed in record time. Before climbing back onto the bed, he asked, "Where's your lube, baby?" Sebastian's throat constricted at Ciel's confused look – he was _not_ going to take that virgin boy dry (or with something stupid like saliva), but god would it kill him to stop right now. Thankfully, Ciel rolled over and dug in a nightstand to produce a bottle. Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief as he crawled up to take it, settling between Ciel's legs.

"Just lie back," the older man instructed, placing a large hand on Ciel's chest to push him down. He could feel how tense and nervous the younger one was. "Relax," he said softly, rubbing one leg gently. "I swear I won't hurt you." Eyes locked on Ciel's, he kissed up one thigh slowly, watching the boy shiver at his touch. He gently stroked the outside of Ciel's thighs as he licked the base of his erection. Ciel's eyes closed and his head fell back. Sebastian attentively licked and nuzzled until Ciel's fingers relaxed their death grip on the bedding. He carefully moved his hands up to Ciel's hips as he wrapped his mouth around the dripping head of the boy's cock.

Slowly, he roamed his hands down as his mouth worked, kneading and stroking. He pumped Ciel's shaft a few times and cupped his balls. He pressed a knuckle to the sensitive area just under his testicles, earning a low moan and making Ciel wriggle enticingly. He stealthily reached between his own knees to open the lube, the _crack_ of the flip top ringing through the room like a gunshot.

Ciel froze like a deer.

Sebastian kept sucking to distract him, bringing his left hand up to join his mouth as the other carefully tipped the bottle against his leg to fill his right palm with the gel. He rubbed the fingers of his right hand together, rolling them over each other to coat them in the slippery substance. Very gently, he brushed two fingers over Ciel's hole. The teen's breath hitched, but he didn't freeze again. Sebastian pressed harder, massaging the area firmly until Ciel started rubbing against his hand. Slowly, he slid one finger in, pausing his fellatio to watch the boy's face.

Ciel bit his bottom lip and made a conscious effort to relax. Like last time, it felt strange, but didn't take long to turn good. He cracked his eyes to look down at Sebastian.

Sebastian pumped the finger in and out slowly, feeling Ciel gradually relax around it. "Are you okay to keep going?" At Ciel's nod, he added a second finger. Ciel winced at the burn and Sebastian quickly started hunting for his prostate. He smirked at Ciel's sudden gasp. He rubbed lightly until Ciel started bucking for more friction then added a third finger. At Ciel's hiss, he leaned down to capture his lips. "You're doing so good," he praised, petting the halo of blue-gray hair soothingly. "You're almost ready."

Ciel nodded, panting. The burn was still there, but it was bearable – especially when Sebastian hit that spot! He moaned and wriggled, trying to make him hit it more forcefully. "Please," he keened, desperate. "Sebastian, please …."

"Are you ready?" Sebastian asked, spreading his fingers open further.

"God, yes, just please make me come," Ciel begged, tossing his head from side to side.

Sebastian retracted his hand to slick up his own neglected member. He drizzled on some more lube just to be safe and pumped it a few times, moaning at how good it felt to finally be touched. At Ciel's impatient whine, he carefully set the lube on the side table and crawled back between his legs. One hand under each knee, he wrapped them around his hips and leaned down to nudge the blunt head of his painfully hard arousal against Ciel's stretched entrance.

Sebastian was about to say something reassuring or maybe ask permission, but all thoughts were knocked clean out of his head when Ciel bucked up against him, engulfing half his cock in one go. The sudden heat and pressure were absolutely mind-numbing.

"Fuck me," Ciel panted, staring up with lidded, mismatched eyes. "Please," he begged. It was the single most erotic thing Sebastian had ever seen and it took everything he had not to slam himself all the way in and do as Ciel said. The boy hand no idea what he was asking for.

Instead, Sebastian shivered and gripped Ciel's hips, rocking in and out slowly, going deeper little by little. "So tight," he panted. "God, you feel good."

Ciel wrapped his legs tighter around Sebastian's waist and clung to his back, reveling in the new sensation of being filled. Little shivers went down his spine at the delicious way Sebastian's length moved inside him. "Sebastian," he chanted, over and over. His toes curled when Sebastian's hips finally met his own and started moving at a quicker pace.

Sebastian leaned down and latched onto the boy's neck, biting down and sucking hard. Ciel's hands clamped down on the back of his head, holding it there as he moaned at the pleasure-pain. Sebastian snaked a hand between their bodies to grip the erection stabbing into his ribs. He pumped it firmly in time with his thrusts.

Ciel dug his short nails into Sebastian's scalp. "I'm going to," he gasped, "I'm gonna come."

Sebastian licked up to his ear and murmured, "So come."

The vibrations of that perfect voice sent him over the edge. Ciel gasped and tensed as he came, the sensation too overwhelming to cry out. Sebastian quickly pulled out when the boy contracted around him, adding his own release to the mess on Ciel's stomach.

"Ew," Ciel grumbled, frowning slightly as he came back to himself.

Sebastian panted a laugh, letting his head hang over Ciel's chest as he rested his weight on his elbows. "Trust me, it's much less 'ew' this way than having it dribble out of your butt for the next ten minutes."

" _Ew_ ," Ciel repeated more emphatically.

Sebastian chuckled and kissed Ciel's forehead, salty with sweat. "Sex is messy," he noted before rolling off to one side and flopping bonelessly down onto his back.

Ciel grumbled and dropped a hand down to feel under the bed for a towel, trying not to upset the puddle on his stomach. "It's a lot less messy as a top," he muttered.

Sebastian cackled, not moving from where he flopped. "That it is."

"Oh, shut up," Ciel snapped as he wiped himself down. "And don't get used to this."

"Oh?" Sebastian asked, rolling onto his side to look at Ciel. "Was it not to your liking?"

Ciel flushed. "That's not the point. And still shut up." He wadded the towel up and stood, intending to go into the bathroom until legs gave out. "Damn!" he cursed as he caught himself on the edge of the bed.

Sebastian darted up, reaching out a hand to steady the slate-haired boy. "Careful. Your muscles are probably weak right now."

Ciel rolled his eye. "Thanks, Captain Obvious. I got it." He tried to stand again and this time his legs held. He shook off Sebastian's hand and waddled like a trembling little baby deer, but by God he waddled on his own.

Sebastian pressed a finger to his lips to hold in a chuckle at the prideful little creature's antics. "Do you need a minute alone?" he asked once he was sure he wouldn't laugh.

Ciel made it to the bathroom and leaned against the doorframe before answering, "No, I'm just going to shower. You can join me if you want."

"I think a bath would be better," Sebastian suggested, taking the time to lay out his suit properly before it got more wrinkled.

"Maybe. But I'm taking a shower," Ciel stated firmly from the other room, reaching into the tub/shower combo to turn on the water.

_Stubborn little snot_ , Sebastian thought, not nearly for the first time.

"Holy shit!" Ciel exclaimed, leaning over the vanity.

Startled, Sebastian jumped and rushed over to the bathroom. "What's wrong?" He could have sworn he was gentle enough not to hurt him.

Ciel rubbed at the base of his neck where a large purple bruise was blossoming. "What do you mean 'what's wrong'? You fucking mauled me, asshole!"

Sebastian winced. He hadn't meant to bite him that hard. Tilting his own head back, he examined the pale column of his own neck in the mirror, pointing out a trail of increasingly dark spots leading up to his ear. "Looks like you got in a few war bites, too."

"Mine's bigger," Ciel pouted, wincing as he poked it.

"True, but at least your shirt will cover it. I'm going to have to wander around all week looking like a horny teenager," Sebastian lamented with excess drama to make Ciel smile.

"Serves you right," Ciel laughed, tugging Sebastian into the hot water with him.

Ciel very graciously allowed Sebastian to stay the night. And wash his aching body. And dress him. And cook him food. And bring him tea.

Wearing only his boxers and white undershirt, Sebastian chuckled as he retrieved Ciel's latest request, a book from his messenger bag. Handing it to the boy, who was burritoed up in layers of blankets in his bed, he observed, "I didn't know I was signing up for indentured servitude by accepting your offer to stay."

Ciel glared, an adorable expression of burrito fury, as he untangled one hand to accept the book. "You're the one who won't let me get up."

Sebastian leaned down to plant a kiss on top of the blanket-covered head. "It's late and you're tired. Go to sleep already."

"Meh," Ciel grumbled, pawing at the spot Sebastian touched before rolling onto his side and opening his book.

Sebastian shrugged, walking around the bed to the unoccupied side to lie down, back to Ciel. Finally unobserved, he took the opportunity to give the room a thorough examination, noting that it had all the personality the rest of the apartment was lacking. It shared the same black-and-white modern furniture (likely pre-furnished as his own apartment was), but it was otherwise coated in posters, fliers, and knickknacks, the same as any other teenager's bedroom. Admittedly, they were nicely framed, arranged, and displayed like no teenager he'd ever seen, but he chalked that up to Ciel's obsessively controlling personality.

Most of the posters seemed to be Shakespeare-related, though there were a few modern classics thrown in. The fliers were for plays, mostly school or amateur and Sebastian itched to examine them more closely but dared not while Ciel was in the room. A single stuffed bunny occupied the top of the dresser. Sebastian laughed reflexively when he realized it had an eyepatch and a frown.

Ciel turned half way around. "What?"

Smiling, Sebastian rolled to look at him. "Your rabbit," he explained, pointing. "It looks just like you."

Ciel frowned, then his expression softened as he looked at the stuffed toy. "Bitter Rabbit."

Sebastian arched a brow. "An apt name."

Ciel looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before rolling back over and mumbling, "I thought so, too." He closed his book and clicked off his light.

\---

Sebastian sighed as Claude kept talking. He really wasn't in the mood for his creepy coworker or his Machiavellian schemes today. Instead, he simply sipped his crappy break room coffee and stared blankly at his lecture notes, wishing he could go back to sleep.

"You're not listening," Claude said flatly, finally going silent.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to notice," Sebastian muttered, not looking up. He was seated in the cold, white teacher's lounge, a room he rarely visited. He thought it would be the ideal place to avoid Claude, but apparently he'd underestimated the man's determination to find him. He really didn't mind Claude nine days out of ten, but that tenth day was always a bitch.

Claude chuckled, amused with Sebastian's bluntness as always. "Does it have to do with those love bites?"

Sebastian slapped a hand over his neck and looked Claude in the eye. "Does what have to do with it?"

"Your irritable mood."

"No," Sebastian ground out. He had been perfectly content until Claude had showed up and started needling him. All he had wanted to do was to sit in peace until his first class, a peace that was completely shattered by Claude's incessant plotting.

"Ah, then it must have to do with the brat," Claude noted. "He still riding you like a dog?"

Sebastian gritted his teeth. No, for once he wasn't frustrated with Ciel at all; it was Claude he wished would leave him the hell alone. If he weren't so irritated, he would have laughed at the irony. "No," he repeated. Realizing Claude would not stop pestering him until he provided more information, he grudgingly added, "Everything's still fine on that front. All going according to plan. I just want some quiet."

Claude nodded, examining Sebastian over a glass of ice water. The other man looked down, clearly done talking. "Good," he remarked. No response. "Glad it's working out." Sebastian nodded without looking up. Irritated, Claude goaded, "Maybe one day you'll figure out what he's hiding." Sebastian grunted, brows drawing together a bit but not engaging in Claude's single-sided conversation. "I'm surprised you don't have a theory yet."

Sebastian rolled his eyes, resigning himself to the fact that peace and quiet were out of the question today. He shoved his notes back into his briefcase and folded his arms on the dingy, laminated table, giving Claude his full attention. "Clearly, this is something you've put a lot of thought into and really want to share right now. Why don't you tell me?"

Claude's lip curled at one corner. "I could … but it would be so much more fun to hear what you've come up with."

Refusing to give Claude the satisfaction of seeing his frustration, Sebastian calmly stated, "He obviously has money from something. His job is a book store clerk, so family? It honestly isn't that interesting," he lied. In fact, the mystery of Ciel was one of the things that weighed on his mind a great deal. His nice apartment, quality clothes, closet full of business suits, strange choice of second language, connection to the odd museum man, and insistence on a major he clearly disliked were all pieces of a puzzle. The fact that the boy went so far out of his way to hide everything behind a shroud of blandness made it all the more curious to Sebastian.

Claude looked away as if disinterested. "You're right, that's probably all it is."

Sebastian felt a twitch forming near his brow. If he wasn't satisfied with his own shitty explanation, there's no way Claude was. Knowing full well he was being baited, Sebastian asked anyway, "Well, what was _your_ theory, then?"

"Oh, I don't really have one yet," Claude drawled modestly, still looking off into the distance.

Sebastian barked a laugh. "And you can say that with a straight face, too."

"Well," Claude allowed, running a fingertip along the rim of his glass, "I do have a few, but nothing concrete. They're all a bit outlandish." At Sebastian's hand gesture to continue, he hedged, "It's probably wrong, but my favorite theory is a Social Escort."

Sebastian choked. "A _prostitute_?" he asked incredulously. "That's seriously the best you can come up with?" At Claude's shrug, Sebastian asked, "Why would the kid strong arm me into free sex if that's his job?"

"Power? Control? Psychologically speaking –"

"Eh!" Sebastian cut him off, holding up a finger. "Don't even start with that." Thinking back to how nervous Ciel was last night, he doubted the young man was a sex worker. Not that he would ever share that reasoning with Claude.

The golden-eyed man looked at him with amused interest. "Very well then, how about an international celebrity who isn't famous here in America?" At Sebastian's snort, he smiled slyly and he added, "Or the secret heir to a Fortune Five-Hundred Company?" Claude's eyes twinkled with mirth and he waited, clearly expecting a response.

Sebastian scoffed and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "Those are the stupidest ideas I've ever heard. I apologize for not believing you when you said you had nothing." A large part of him suspected Claude did actually know, but he also suspected Claude would have spilled by now if he was going to. Either way, Sebastian would have to figure it out on his own.


	8. Chapter 8

**Still Thursday, September 25  
** **At the end of the day**

Sebastian stared curiously as the same blond head walked past his office door for the fifth time. By the small stature, it belonged to a student, but what a student was doing pacing the faculty corridor this late in the evening he had no idea. When it darted past his door again, curiosity got the better of him. He rounded his desk and poked his head out into the corridor just in time to see Claude's door slam in the student's face. He smirked. That was so like Faustus. No wonder the kid had been nervous.

The student rotated on the heel of one shoe and slid down the wall, dejected. Sebastian's eyes widened as he recognized that pouting face.

"Alois?" he called, hoping he got the name right.

The boy's head snapped up, immediately looking at Claude's door before turning to scan the hallway. "Oh!" he exclaimed, pushing himself to his feet and putting on a sheepish expression. "Hi. I didn't know anyone else was here."

"Is there something you need help with?" Sebastian asked, stepping out into the hall.

"Um, not really. I just came to talk to Mister Faustus, but it seems like he's busy." Alois looked down as he tugged on the hem of his shirt. "I'll just catch him later," he added softly.

Was this really the same excitable bubbly blond who threw himself all over Ciel a few weeks ago? Sebastian hadn't spent much – or any – time with the kid, but from what Ciel said, he was normally happy and hyper. Worried, Sebastian stepped up and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't let Faustus get you down. He can be a real bastard outside of his office hours."

"I heard that," Claude's voice called from behind his door.

Ignoring him, Sebastian lifted his hand to gesture at himself and offered, "I work in the same department if you need help with homework or scheduling."

Alois looked up at him quizzically before his eyes lit up in recognition. "Hey, you're Ciel's teacher, aren't you?"

Sebastian laughed. Obviously Ciel still hadn't told his friend what was going on. "Yes, I am. My name is Sebastian Michaelis. We met in passing a few weeks ago."

Alois nodded excitedly. "Yeah, I remember! In the coffee shop right?" He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet when Sebastian nodded. Staring at Sebastian's pretty face, he wiggled closer and grabbed the man's arm. "I don't need help with homework, but I would like some company over dinner. Know any good places?"

Sebastian's eyes widened. This was certainly getting awkward. Extracting his arm, he politely lied, "Sorry, but I need to finish some paperwork. It was good to see you again."

Ignoring the hint, Alois offered, "I don't mind waiting." He batted his big turquoise blue eyes up at Sebastian hopefully.

Sebastian blanched. He didn't want to be rude because this was Ciel's friend, but he also obviously couldn't go on a date with him for the same reason. Not that he would anyway; hyper little immature Alois definitely wasn't his type. "That's very nice of you, but I'm not actually in the market for a date right now."

"That's cool. We could just hang out as friends if you want." Wiggling his eyebrows, Alois added, "And whatever happens, happens."

Yes, it was definitely awkward now.

Salvation came from an unexpected quarter, though. Claude's door flew open and the man himself stood there glaring coldly. "If you don't mind, some of us are trying to work. I would appreciate it if you idiots could stop flirting right outside my door."

Alois yipped and jumped back. "Claude – "

Claude swung his icy gaze down at the boy. "Not now, Trancy. Michaelis, I need you in my office." With that, he retreated.

Sebastian offered a polite smile. "Looks like I have to go. Try catching Faustus in the morning; he gets cranky in the afternoons."

Alois nodded, mumbling, "Later," as he headed for the stairwell.

Claude groaned when Sebastian entered the office. "Why did you have to encourage him to keep bothering me?"

Confused, Sebastian paused with his hand on the handle and asked, "Um, because he's a student who obviously needs your help with something?"

Claude gritted his teeth. "He is not. He was a mistake."

Interested, Sebastian closed the door and settled down in a chair. "How so?"

Claude sighed and rested back in his chair, eyes on the ceiling as he explained, "I picked him up at that party before term. It was supposed to be a one night stand, but he somehow found out where I work and has been pestering the living shit out of me." He rubbed his forehead in frustration.

Smirking, Sebastian said, "Alois is Ciel's friend. I bet that's how he found out."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that," Claude muttered, making Sebastian chuckle. "I fail to see how this is funny," Claude said flatly.

"Think of it as karma. If you hadn't screwed around with Ciel, Alois wouldn't be pestering you. And to go further back, if you hadn't dragged me to that rave as a form of friendly torture, you wouldn't have picked up Alois in the first place." Throwing up a hand in sudden realization, Sebastian added, "Hell, for that matter, I wouldn't have met Ciel and none of us would be in the mess we're in to begin with. So this is all your fault. Thanks, ass," he teased with friendly exasperation.

Claude chuckled at that. "You're welcome." Seeing Sebastian was in a much better mood than this morning, Claude brought their earlier topic back up. "When are you going to see Ciel next?"

"Outside of tomorrow's class? I don't know. He says he has to work."

Claude harrumphed. "At his 'bookstore' job?"

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Don't start with that again."

"Why not? You must know that's not what he's really doing. I've looked up his fancy apartment; there's no way a part time bookstore job is covering anything close to that, much less his tuition and living."

"He could be taking out student loans," Sebastian argued logically. "Some of those pay living expenses."

"Not nearly enough to cover all _that_ ," Claude laughed lightly. "Face it, my friend, there's definitely something rotten in Denmark."

Sebastian waved his hand back and forth. "Bah. I never denied that; I just think all your theories so far have been crap."

"Ah, but this time I'm not telling you a theory. This time I'm suggesting you actually do some legwork and try to figure things out instead of blindly guessing. Well, more of a stake-out than legwork."

Sebastian grimaced. "A stake-out? You want me to follow him around like some sort of stalker?"

"Exactly."

"And what if I just sit in front of a bookstore all night like a creep?"

Lifting a brow, Claude asked, "How many bookstores do you know that are open past nine? If he's too busy 'working' to see you on a Friday night, I want to know what he's doing."

"Well, why don't _you_ follow him then and leave me out of it?" Sebastian grumbled automatically.

Smirking, Claude agreed airily, "Yes, that's an excellent idea. I'll just follow him around like a sad puppy to confess my undying love. Maybe he'll realize he's lost without me and suck my dick again."

Sebastian nearly choked, shooting straight up in his chair to sputter a cough. "Fine, you've made your point. It was a stupid idea."

Claude chuckled darkly. "I don't know; I kind of liked how it ended."

Sebastian breathed a laugh to cover his irritation. "I bet. Unfortunately, that would be counterproductive to our plan." _And he's mine,_ Sebastian thought, possessively. It was bad enough that Ciel dumped him for Claude once; he certainly wasn't going to let it happen again.

"So you'll go through with it?"

 _Not like I have much of a choice_. "Yes. I'll keep an eye on him tomorrow and see where he goes."

\---

It turns out the answer to that question was nowhere. Not that Sebastian could see, at any rate.

He had barely taken the time to change into dark jeans and a plain black tee in his office before driving directly over to Ciel's apartment after work. He had and circled the block until he found a parking spot that allowed him to see both the front door of the building and its parking lot exit. Ciel's car was in the lot, so he knew the boy was inside.

As the hours passed, it became more and more obvious that Ciel had no intention of going out.

 _Did he just want to be alone tonight?_ Sebastian wondered as the street lights flickered on. He smiled, laughing internally at how the innocent explanation would vex Claude to no end. _Sorry, Claude. It turns out he's a teenage boy who just wanted to eat pizza and play video games all night._

Sebastian wondered how long he should stay. It was almost 9 o'clock, according to his dash clock. He certainly wasn't going to sit here all night just to satisfy Claude's curiosity when Ciel was only going to stay in, but he knew the older man would give him shit for leaving too soon. _Ten seems fair_ , he decided. He would stay one more hour before calling it a bust.

He tried to see if Ciel's light was on, but wasn't sure which windows were his. Shrugging, he resigned himself to people-watching to pass the time. There weren't many families out this late, but he saw lots of couples coming back from dates. A few groups of younger people passed, looking like they were heading to a party. Cars frequently paused near the entrance, depositing people. The closer he got to 10, the more people he saw heading to the parking lot in club wear.

 _That's a thought. What if he works a night job? He might be ashamed to admit if he's a stripper._ Sebastian's face was thoughtful as he rolled the idea over. _It does pay well from what I've heard, and he's certainly pretty enough._

A fancy black town car caught Sebastian's eye. It rolled to a graceful stop in front of the apartment and a distinguished older man with a mustache and monocle stepped out of the back. _Fancy-schmancy_ , Sebastian thought. _I bet he lives in the penthouse. Does this place even have a penthouse?_

His musing was cut short when the man reached a hand into the car and pulled out – Ciel!?

Sebastian pressed his nose to the glass of his window without realizing it before ducking down to make himself harder to see. The one-eyed boy was dressed in a dark blue suit and tie. He smiled up at the old man with the radiant, genuine smile Sebastian had only seen once before. They spoke briefly and embraced fondly before Ciel headed into the building, waving as the old man returned to the car and was driven off.

 _Crap on a stick_.

Sebastian knew exactly what Claude would say when he told him about this and he really didn't want to hear it. He rested his head on the steering wheel as he thought. The only idea he could come up with was a Hail Mary. Knowing it was either do this or go back to Claude to have the prostitute theory thrown into his face again, Sebastian hopped out of his car and made his way into the building. He took a deep breath outside Ciel's door and painted on a smile before knocking.

"Coming!" Ciel called. He opened the door a few seconds later and jumped when he saw who was there. "Sebastian?"

Sebastian's eyes roamed over Ciel's clothes. The blue suit was of a very fine fabric, clearly custom cut for Ciel's frame. The ecru dress shirt was plush and nicely starched with a cobalt silk tie neatly knotted in some attractive knot Sebastian had never mastered himself. The teen's slate-colored hair was slicked back, exposing his face and making his black eyepatch stand out on the pale skin. Instead of a handicap, was almost a fashion statement the way Ciel wore it. Sebastian didn't have to work hard to coach his expression into one of surprise. "You look amazing. What's the occasion?"

Rather than answer, Ciel frowned and responded with his own question. "What are you doing here?"

"I missed you and wanted to surprise you," Sebastian lied smoothly. Looking pointedly back at Ciel's clothes, he asked, "Are you going out?"

Ciel's brows lifted at Sebastian's admission. "Um, no. Just getting in actually." He hesitated for a long second before offering, "Would you like some tea?"

"Love some," Sebastian responded with a smile, stepping in quickly before Ciel changed his mind. He sat on a bar stool overlooking the kitchen while Ciel fussed with setting up a kettle. "That's a great color on you," he noted, subtly trying to bring the conversation back to why Ciel was dressed up.

"Thanks," Ciel muttered, not looking up. He gently unknotted the tie as he turned around. "I'm going to change. Keep an eye on that for a second, will you?"

Sebastian bared his teeth at the boy's back as he retreated down the hall. _Damn it, why does that little runt have to make everything so difficult?_

Ciel was back before the kettle whistled. He had exchanged his suit for well-worn jeans and a faded white t-shirt of some obscure band. He padded into the kitchen in sock feet to set up two mugs. "Earl Grey or Jasmine?" he asked, holding up the two boxes of individual bags.

"Whichever you're having," Sebastian responded with a charming smile. He flowed smoothly into the kitchen while Ciel was dropping a bag of Jasmine into each mug and slid his arms around Ciel's waist, pressing the boy's back to his chest. Ciel tensed at the unexpected contact, but didn't push him away. Sebastian nibbled on his ear as he purred, "You looked incredibly hot all dressed up like that. What do I have to do to get you to put on a suit for me?"

Ciel relaxed back into Sebastian's hold and closed his eye. "What you're doing is a good start."

Sebastian scowled. Trying again, he teased, "I didn't know bookstores were so fancy nowadays. I should get out more." Ciel chuckled but didn't rise to the bait.

The kettle whistled and Ciel pulled away. "Go sit down, I'll bring it out to you."

Sebastian sat on the couch with an irritated huff. When Ciel settled next to him, placing both mugs on the coffee table, Sebastian threw subtlety to the wind. "Where did you go tonight?" he asked directly, leaving no room for evasion.

"Out to dinner," Ciel answered succinctly, taking a sip of his tea.

"By yourself?" Sebastian fought a wince as he realized how much that question made him sound like a jealous boyfriend.

Ciel arched a brow, obviously thinking the same thing. "No," he said simply, a clear indication he wanted Sebastian to drop it.

A frustrated scream bubbled up in Sebastian's throat and he ground his teeth to keep it contained. Getting answers out of this kid was like pulling teeth! Trying not to sound angry, he asked bluntly, "Who did you go with?" That definitely made him sound like a jealous boyfriend, but direct questions seemed to be the only way to wring a response out of the boy.

Frowning, Ciel snapped, "Not that it's any of your business, but a family friend. Happy?"

"Ecstatic," Sebastian said flatly. He was irritated at the lengths he had to go to to get that simple answer, but secretly pleased it wasn't a date or, ahem, _other_ work function. In an attempt to smooth Ciel's ruffled feathers, Sebastian offered, "Sorry if I overstepped some boundary …?" He let the sentence trail off.

Ciel's brows were still pulled together in irritation. "I just don't see why it's such a big deal to you that I went out to eat."

Sebastian laughed and pointed out, "It's not; you're just so damn evasive. I wouldn't have to badger you for answers if you'd actually tell me things instead of dancing around all the time."

Ciel harrumphed and wedged himself into the corner of the couch, crossing his arms and bringing his knees up to his chin. "It's none of your business, anyway," he grumbled with no real heart, clearly done arguing but unwilling to admit defeat.

Sebastian snickered into his tea and let it drop. _Frustrating little creature_ , he thought fondly as Ciel glared at him like a hissy kitten, all curled up in a ball. "What is your opinion on French toast?" Sebastian knew food was Ciel's weakness and extended the question like an olive branch.

Looking curious in spite of himself, Ciel unwound his arms a little and straightened up slightly. "It's food, so favorable," he responded cautiously.

Sebastian smiled kindly, coaxing Ciel out of his pout. "I happen to make an excellent cinnamon French toast with whipped cream and vanilla if you're not busy in the morning."

Ciel eyed him, as if waiting for the trick. Finally, he admitted, "I'm free until ten, but then I have to work."

"Excellent." Sebastian placed a hand on the boy's knee. "Would you like to come over for breakfast, then?"

"Can't you do it here?" Ciel whined, uncurling and dropping his feet back onto the floor. "I hate getting up early on weekends."

Lifting a brow, Sebastian asked, "Do you have the ingredients?"

Ciel tried to remember the contents of his fridge. "Um, maybe?"

Chuckling, Sebastian stood and walked to the kitchen, opening the fridge and pantry. "You have peanut butter, eggs, oatmeal, and tea," he noted. "I don't think you'd want those mixed together."

"I have more than that!" Ciel huffed indignantly.

"I only noted the food items. Adding Skittles and M&M's to the mix would help nothing."

Ciel stuck out his tongue. "Fine, I'll come over to your stupid apartment tomorrow but I won't be happy about it."

Sebastian placed a hand over his heart and bowed. "I'm honored."

"Tch," Ciel scoffed, pink dusting his cheeks as he looked away. "You're so weird." He sighed and drained his tea, marching over to the kitchen to deposit both cups in the sink. "Since you're forcing me to get up early, you need to get the hell out so I can sleep. It's late."

Nodding, Sebastian allowed himself to be herded toward the door. "Fair enough." A surreptitious glance at the microwave clock as he passed showed 10:23 PM. There was plenty of time to call Claude tonight so the bastard wouldn't bother him while Ciel was over tomorrow. He paused outside the door to say, "See you in the morning. Any time after seven is good."

Ciel gagged. "You'll be lucky if I drag in before nine-thirty." He closed the door in Sebastian's face.

 _Brat_ , Sebastian chuckled.

Naturally, Claude didn't buy Ciel's 'old family friend' line, but Sebastian didn't care. He saw no reason to disbelieve Ciel and Claude dropped the issue when he realized how futile attempting to convince Sebastian otherwise was. Sebastian smiled at the small victory as he puttered around his apartment the following morning preparing for Ciel's visit.

Despite his words the previous night, Ciel showed up just past eight. He was dressed in nice casual clothes, untorn jeans and a dark green long-sleeved Henley, likely in preparation for heading straight to work after eating. "I wanted to have time for a better breakfast if this one doesn't work out," he stated by way of greeting.

"Charming as always," Sebastian responded, ushering him inside. "I have a fresh pot of coffee if you'd like something to drink while I cook." Ciel didn't respond, but made a beeline for it, filling his cup only half way before loading it with milk and sugar. "I'm not sure that's even brown enough to be considered coffee-based anymore," Sebastian noted.

Ciel sucked half of it down in one go. "Less talkie, more cookie."

"Very well," Sebastian allowed, smirking. He set up a square griddle pan, leaving it to heat as he mixed the ingredients in a bowl. Ciel watched without comment, surprised at how many things were going in. His eager blue eye followed Sebastian's hands as he dipped slices of bread in the eggy mixture and laid them out on the hot pan to sizzle. Catching Ciel's gaze, he teased, "What? Never seen someone cook before?"

"Um, no, not really," he admitted. "I'm more of an instant-gratification guy." He filled up his coffee cup again before asking, "So, how'd you learn to cook, anyway?"

"Self-taught." He shrugged. "You'll get there soon enough. A man can only eat so much instant oatmeal and scrambled eggs before he goes mad."

Tired of standing, Ciel levered himself onto the countertop and swung his legs as he watched the food cook. A chime from his pocket made him dig out his phone. He rolled his eyes at the message on the screen and dropped it onto the counter without responding.

"Something the matter?" Sebastian asked with a quirked brow.

"Nah, just Alois. He wants to hang out tomorrow. Clingy." Ciel rested his head on the cabinet behind him and continued swinging his feet. He cracked an eye open when he heard movement and watched Sebastian carefully flip each piece of bread to reveal golden brown undersides. The scent of cinnamon and vanilla permeated the air and his mouth watered in anticipation.

"Are you going to do it?" Ciel shot him a curious look and Sebastian explained, "Hang out with Alois. He is your friend, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Ciel allowed. "I just don't really like being around people."

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Shut it. I'm only tolerating you right now because there's food," Ciel groused, picking his phone back up to respond to Alois.

"Duly noted," Sebastian said seriously, though his crimson eyes sparkled with amusement. Now that he was used to the perpetually grumpy teen and could read behind his words, he found this kid hilarious.

He placed the first four slices of completed French toast on a serving plate and set to cooking the next batch. Seeing Ciel's eye widen like a saucer, he chuckled and scooped two of them onto a smaller plate, topping the steaming slices with powdered sugar, syrup, and whipped cream. The boy practically snatched the plate from him and inhaled one slice whole before Sebastian could even offer him a fork.

"Good god!" Sebastian exclaimed, making a show of snatching his fingers out of harm's way. "I could have sworn I put two on there."

Ciel breathed out what might have been a laugh before devouring the second slice as quickly as the first and holding the plate out expectantly. "Nope, looks like you handed me an empty plate. Better fix that."

"Are you sure you're human?" Sebastian asked skeptically. "I'm beginning to think you're a black hole in boy form."

Ciel smirked. "You better put some more toast on this plate before you find out."

Sebastian couldn't help but laugh and ruffle Ciel's hair fondly before scooting the other two slices onto his plate, leaving the boy to fix them himself as he flipped the cooking slices. Judging by the snowy mountain of sugar and great lake of syrup Ciel created on his plate, it may not have been the best decision. "Keep eating like that and your foot's going to fall off," he warned.

"Good thing black holes don't need feet," Ciel quipped, actually taking a fork and going out to sit at the table for this serving.

Sebastian rolled his eyes and patiently waited the two minutes necessary for the new French toast to finish cooking before joining him. "What's the verdict?"

Ciel snatched the top piece off Sebastian's plate and devoured it before declaring: "Awful. Absolutely dreadful. I demand you continue practicing this recipe until I'm satisfied."

The older man quirked a brow and scooted his plate safely farther away. "So sorry to disappoint. Would you like something else instead? I have fruit."

"Nah," Ciel said, shaking his head. "I'm good." He eyed Sebastian's body quietly as he finished his coffee, taking in his fitted red tee and jeans. The shirt pulled nicely over his chest and shoulders, showing off the sculpted form usually hidden beneath a suit. The way the muscles of his arms flexed as he ate was enthralling.

"Did I drop food on myself?"

Ciel's eye snapped up to meet Sebastian's curious crimson gaze. "No." He hesitated before saying, "I'm just not used to seeing you wear anything other than a suit. It looks nice."

Smiling wickedly, Sebastian reminded him, "You've seen me in much less."

Ciel flushed at the reminder. "Don't even start that, I'm about to leave for work." He took his coffee mug back into the kitchen for a refill and snagged his phone off the counter. Ciel was pleasantly surprised to find the damn thing wasn't dead for once. He took it as a good omen.

"What's got you all smiley?" Sebastian asked as Ciel came back in, grinning down at his phone.

"Nothing, I just have a feeling today's going to be a good day."

\---

The next evening, Sebastian had just finished packing his briefcase and laying out his clothes when his phone buzzed in his pocket. "1 message from C: **not going to see you tomorrow. alois knows something is up and is trying to figure out who im seeing** ". Interested, Sebastian settled down to respond.

 

PSM: **And I take it you don't want him to know it's me?**

C: **of course not**

PSM: **I didn't know you were so ashamed of me.**

C: **obviously**

PSM: **Ouch.**

C: **shut up. do you want the whole world to know?**

PSM: **He's just one boy.**

C: **with a megaphone for a mouth**

PSM: **Fair enough. What do you want me to do?**

C: **nothing. he's just going to follow me around for a while, so ignore me until the coast is clear**

PSM: **If that's what you want.**

PSM: **I'm going to miss you, though. ;)**

 

Ciel didn't respond and Sebastian snorted, used to it.

The next morning was strangely quiet without Ciel. Not that the boy was a big talker, but the office felt lonely without him for some reason.

Sebastian was concentrating so hard on not searching him out in the auditorium while setting up for class that he completely missed the hyper blond comet heading his way until it almost crashed into him. "Hi!" Alois chirped from an uncomfortable foot away.

Eyebrows in his hairline from the sudden rush of adrenaline, Sebastian barely got out a, "Hello."

"It's Sebastian, right?" he asked with a smile, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Yes, but students call me Mister Michaelis or Professor," Sebastian said, regaining his composure and cooling into teacher mode. He stared at Alois with his best disapproving look.

The blond grimaced and looked down, twisting a toe nervously before apologizing. "I'm sorry Mister Michaelis."

Sebastian lifted a brow. "It's a bit late in the semester to add a class, so what are you doing here? I'm about to begin a lecture."

Huge aqua eyes looking up innocently, Alois leaned over the podium and pleaded, "I just need a tiny favor and I'll be out of your hair, I swear."

Nervous about what the boy would ask, Sebastian tried to deflect him. "I'm sorry, but now's not a good time. You need to schedule an appointment – "

Alois rocked back and forth, clasping his hands in front of him. "I just want to look at the attendance sheet!" he interjected.

Surprised, Sebastian stopped speaking and didn't even rebuke him for interrupting. "You want what?"

Alois gripped Sebastian's forearm and explained, "I just need to look at it. Five seconds, tops."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed as he tried to come up with a reason Alois would want that. He couldn't see any way it could connect him to Ciel more than the obvious one of Ciel being in his class, which Alois clearly already knew, so he nodded and handed it over.

"Yay!" Alois cheered, holding it aloft like a great prize. He read it hungrily, eyes passing carefully over each name. His shoulders slumped when he reached the end.

"Find what you were looking for?" Sebastian asked unnecessarily.

"Uh, yeah. Sort of," Alois answered, clearly put out. He handed the paper back with a polite "Thank you" before walking out.

 _Odd_. Sebastian made a mental note to ask Ciel about it when he was allowed to speak to the boy again. His eyes followed Alois's retreating back, snagging on Ciel when the blond paused to exchange glances with him. He quickly pulled his gaze away and concentrated on delivering his lecture.

The next morning, Sebastian perked up when he heard the familiar crinkle of a paper bag and slosh of coffee. He smiled as the packaging of Ciel's favorite coffee shop was dangled around the edge of his door frame enticingly.

"Are you coming in or putting on a show?" he asked, amused.

A shiny black shoe slid around the frame, a black suited leg following it. Sebastian was officially intrigued. A tingle of excitement ran through him at the thought that Ciel had dressed up for him because he knew how much the older man had liked seeing him in a suit. His smile fell as Claude's voice said, "Both," a second before his head appeared.

"Faustus, what the hell!" Sebastian spat, jerking up straight. Any stirrings of arousal were instantly washed away. As an afterthought, he kicked himself for forgetting that today was Tuesday, one of the days he never saw Ciel.

Claude snickered. "You're the one who asked for a show."

Sebastian scoffed, looking away. "You're fucked in the head, know that?"

"How can you say that after I brought you food?" Claude teased, jiggling the brown bag to make it rustle.

Knowing full well that nothing he could do or say would make Claude leave until he wanted to, Sebastian grudgingly accepted it. At least he would be fed and caffeinated while listening to Claude scheme today.

"Care to share what's on your mind?"

Sebastian swallowed his mouthful of pastry and washed it down with coffee before responding, "Nothing, just wondering what you're up to now."

"Up to?" Claude asked overly innocently, placing a hand on his chest. "I don't know what you're implying."

Sebastian snorted. "The day you're not up to something is the day I give up teaching. Spill. What's with the food?"

Claude smirked into his coffee. "I just happened to pass it on the way in and thought I could trade it for information." At Sebastian's prompting, he explained, "The little blond menace has been acting strangely and I was curious if you know why."

"Aw, I didn't know you cared. I'm sure he'd love to hear it," Sebastian teased.

Claude speared him with a pointed look. "I don't care, not in the way you think. I just want to make sure you're not messing up our plan by fooling around with that twit. I heard the offer he made you."

Sebastian's eyebrows flew up. "Cheat on Ciel with _that_? God no." While he supposed Alois was attractive enough, his flamboyant personality was a real turnoff. He'd be stupid to risk losing Ciel's sharp wit and enticing body for a fling with his annoying friend.

"I'm glad to hear it," Claude noted, watching Sebastian with interested gold eyes.

"I do think I know what's going on, though," Sebastian continued. "Alois suspects Ciel is seeing someone and is trying to figure out who it is."

Claude made a rude noise. "That boy couldn't figure out how to dump water out of a boot if the instructions were on the heel."

Sebastian laughed. "I'll take your word for it. However, Ciel asked me not to contact him until Alois gives up, so Plan B is on hiatus."

"Asked? Not ordered?" Claude repeated. "Sounds like someone really is making progress."

"Looks like it," Sebastian agreed, a proud smile spreading across his face. "He hasn't given me an order in weeks."

"M'hm," Claude hummed. "Protecting you from his friend, spending his free time with you, not ordering you around? It looks like he really is falling for you." _And from that stupid dopey grin on your face, he's not the only one losing his head_ , Claude mused sourly, hardening his resolve to fix this situation before it got even further out of hand.


	9. Chapter 9

**Wednesday, September 30**

"We're good," Ciel said by way of greeting on Wednesday morning.

"We are, are we?" Sebastian asked, looking up from his reading, thin oval reading frames perched on his nose. "Pray tell what we're good at?"

Ciel huffed a short laugh as he flopped down across from the older man. "Many things, but I meant with Alois. He's given up the hunt." He settled the coffee carrier and paper bag on Sebastian's desk, careful not to knock any papers.

"That was … fast," Sebastian noted suspiciously as he reached for a coffee. "Are you sure it's not a trick?"

Ciel slapped his hand away and handed him the other cup, saving him from a sugary death. "Yeah, Alois doesn't do tricky. Or subtle."

Sebastian chuckled into his cup. "Believe it or not, I noticed that."

Ciel just rolled his eye and nudged the bag closer. "Here, I brought some real food so you can stop giving me shit about my coffee."

Sebastian peeled open the warm bag to reveal sausage and egg biscuits. He bit into one and his eyes widened as flavor exploded in his mouth. "Wow, it's really good," he said emphatically, eyes scanning the familiar brown bag with new interest as he took a few more bites. A coffee bean surrounded by yellow sunrays rose proudly above the phrase _Rise & Grind._ "Where is this place located, anyway? I've looked all over campus for it and never been able to find it."

"That's because it's right next to my apartment."

Sebastian nodded. That made sense. His chewing slowed as a thought tickled the back of his mind. It felt like he was forgetting something, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Shrugging, he said, "Now that you're free, what would you like to do tonight?"

"Who said I was free?" Ciel asked playfully. "I'll have you know that college students are very busy. For example, there's a really hard Philosophy test coming up that I need to study for."

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Sebastian laughed.

"I don't know, the teacher is a major pain in the ass. He assigns way more homework than we need and goes out of his way to come up with trick questions. I think he may even be failing McMillan out of spite."

"He sounds like a real bastard. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Ciel eyed him coyly from beneath his lashes. "I could really use a study partner to pound the information into me."

 _This boy is going to be the death of me, I know it_ , Sebastian thought as he fought the urge to pounce on Ciel right then and there in a most undignified manner. He took a deep breath to calm himself before responding smoothly, "I can certainly do that. Where would you like to study? The library?"

Ciel shook his head. "Definitely not. It's swamped right now and I'd never be able to study properly with all those people distracting me. Would you be willing to come to my place? I'll make it worth your time."

Grinning in anticipation, Sebastian said, "I'm sure you will."

\---

Sebastian whistled as he walked out to his car the next morning. It was cool and misty, a hazy cloud of gray enveloping the world and limiting his sight range. Ciel was still cozy inside his apartment, using the next two hours to actually study before his shift at the bookstore started. He had made the boy breakfast before leaving, but was running early and could use some additional caffeine.

Warm garnet eyes scanned the building fronts as he drove by, finally snagging on the one he was searching for. _There you are, you elusive little bugger_ , he thought as he parked near Rise & Grind. It was only a few blocks from Ciel's apartment, so close he probably would have walked if he'd known where it was. Mist beaded on his skin during the short trek inside.

"Hello, friend!" a cheerful Indian man called from behind the counter, lifting a wrapped hand. "Nice to see you again." The dark skinned man smiled widely, displaying teeth as white as his hair.

Sebastian blinked before offering his own bemused smile. "Hi there." He walked closer to the counter, eyeing the menu on the wall. There were numerous blends and specialty drinks along with a few breakfast items. Something delicious sizzled in the kitchen area around the corner.

"Are you going to try something new today?"

Sebastian examined him curiously, certain they'd never met before. "This is my first time in here. My friend usually brings me one of your black coffees, but I'm not sure what brew it is."

The Indian man's gray eyes widened as he got a closer look at Sebastian's face and crimson eyes. "By Kali! You look just like him." He turned to look over his shoulder and called, "Soma, come here for a second." A flamboyantly dressed young man strode out of the back. His wavy purple hair was tied in a free-flowing bushy ponytail and countless bangles jangled on his wrists, likely breaking every health and safety code.

"Hello again!" he chirped.

Sebastian raised a brow, thoroughly confused now. The white haired man whose name tag read 'Agni' interjected, "The resemblance is uncanny, is it not? Take a closer look."

Soma's brown eyes widened as he stepped closer. "Creepy. Do you have a brother?"

"No, I'm an only child," he answered, looking back and forth between the two.

"Well then, you must have a, what's the word? Doppelganger? Roaming around." Agni answered excitedly. "I'm sorry, we're being very rude. You just look so much like one of our other customers. What can I get you?"

Confused but entertained, Sebastian waved off the apology. "No worries. I have a little gray-haired friend who brings me coffee from your shop every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He wears a black eyepatch. Do you happen to remember what he orders?"

"Ah! My friend Ciel!" Soma exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands. Without hesitating, he rattled off the familiar order: "One 'Sugar Rush' with extra cream every day and sometimes he takes a 'Grumpy Pants' to go."

Sebastian's mouth twitched as he fought a smile. _That brat. He probably gets a good laugh every time he sees me drink it._

"Hey – are you his Grumpy Pants?" Soma asked excitedly, taking another step closer. Sebastian glared at the young man.

Taking in Sebastian's unamused look, Agni placed a hand on Soma's chest, gently shifting him back toward the kitchen. "Now, now, we don't want your food to burn. Go check on it and I'll finish up here." He turned back to Sebastian, placing a wrapped hand over his heart as he explained, "Please, forgive my ward. He is very excitable. What can I get you?"

Rolling his eyes, Sebastian sighed and said, "I guess I'll take the 'Grumpy Pants.'" It really was good coffee, no matter what silly name it had.

Agni smiled warmly and didn't comment as he bustled around fixing the drink. He extended the large, lidded cup with a cheerful, "It's on the house today."

Sebastian smiled in thanks, dropping the five dollar bill he'd been expecting to pay with into the tip jar. He turned toward the door, then paused and spun back. "The man you mistook me for, does he happen to wear glasses?"

Agni looked mildly surprised. "As a matter of fact, he does. Yellow eyes and rimless glasses. Do you know him?"

Sebastian worked hard to keep his face neutral. "Yes, he's my coworker."

In his office thirty minutes later, Sebastian glared at his empty coffee cup as if it had done him a serious wrong. He leaned back in his chair, elbows resting on the chair arms, fingers steepled in front of his lips, eyes narrowed at the cup accusingly.

How could Claude possibly have passed Rise & Grind on his way in Tuesday when his apartment is even further west than Sebastian's? The tricky bastard was up to something, Sebastian knew it.

"It's not going to refill itself," the bastard in question called from the hall.

Sebastian jumped slightly, dropping his arms. "Claude," he stated.

Claude took it as an invitation and walked into the office, not that he had ever let a lack of invitation stop him before. With a smirk he noted, "I see you're on speaking terms with Ciel again. This must mean Alois is still in the dark."

Sebastian nodded, even though it hadn't been a question. "Yes, Ciel said he gave up the hunt and promised to stop following him around. Things are back to normal."

Claude grimaced, knowing exactly where Alois's attention would turn. "And I was just getting used to the peace and quiet," he lamented.

Sebastian chuckled with mean amusement at Claude's suffering, secretly thinking the man deserved it. "Just tell him to get lost."

Eyes skyward, Claude responded sarcastically, "Gee, I've never tried that one. Thanks, doctor."

"He'll get bored and give up soon enough."

Claude curled a lip in distaste, clearly disagreeing.

\---

**Friday, October 3**

"This movie is awful," Sebastian stated emphatically, glad it was almost over.

"It is not!" Ciel laughed, throwing popcorn at Sebastian's face. "Rocky Horror is an _amazing_ movie!"

Sebastian smiled, gathering up the loose kernels from his shirt and hair to pop them into his mouth. "Is that why it was such a huge flop?"

Ciel sniffed, turning back to the screen to watch the castle lift off. "It was underappreciated because it was too advanced for its time. Now it's a cult classic."

"If you have to qualify it with the word 'cult,' it's not a classic," Sebastian teased, goading the boy on just to watch his cheeks puff out in irritation. Ciel was curled up in a tight ball around the bowl of popcorn in one corner of his loveseat. Sebastian, for his part, was comfortably sprawled at an angle in the other corner, one arm along the back of the couch, long legs stretched out under the coffee table.

"You just sit there and be wrong in your wrongness," Ciel grumbled, eyes still glued to the movie's conclusion. Chuckling, Sebastian scooted over to ruffle Ciel's hair. When the credits rolled, Ciel challenged, "Well, if you're such an expert, why don't you pick the next movie?"

"It's ten o'clock; it's too late to start another one," Sebastian pointed out.

Eyes wide, Ciel turned to stare at him in horror. "Holy shit. You did _not_ just say that." At Sebastian's confused look he clarified, "It's ten o'clock on Friday night, grandpa! Don't tell me you want to go to sleep. Are you gonna drink your prune juice and take out your dentures, too?"

"Alright, alright," Sebastian conceded, throwing up his hands. "My bad."

"Damn right, your bad," Ciel muttered. "And for that, I'm revoking your right to choose." He snatched up the remote and began flipping through the Horror section of Netflix. He perked up when he saw a familiar title and immediately hit play. Tossing the remote onto the coffee table, Ciel kicked up his sock feet, leaned his shoulder comfortably against Sebastian's arm, and continued to decimate the popcorn.

"Do you watch anything other than horror flicks?" Sebastian asked curiously.

"Not during October. It's Halloween," Ciel stated simply, like it was the most logical thing ever.

"It's _barely_ October. You've got four full weeks until Halloween."

"Yep, and those four weeks are filled with horror movies."

Grinning, Sebastian asked, "Are you like this with Christmas, too? 'Cause I've got to be honest, I can't take that much holiday cheer. I need to know what I'm getting myself into."

Ciel made a face, still staring straight ahead at the TV. "God, no. I hate how stores start putting up Christmas things before Halloween so I protest by ignoring it as long as possible." He munched a handful of popcorn before adding seriously: "Besides, as a December birthday, I'm pretty much obligated to hate it. Christmas and I are on the outs because of the whole joint birthday-Christmas present thing people do."

Sebastian nodded. He'd never considered that before. "I can see how that would be irritating."

"Yeah," Ciel agreed. "At least mine's in on the fourteenth. My mom's was on Christmas Eve, so she didn't even get to have a birthday party without it turning into a Christmas party and everyone else singing carols and opening presents, too."

Wincing, Sebastian said, "Ouch. She probably hated that as a kid, huh?"

Ciel nodded. "She was cool with it as an adult, but she really hated it as a kid so she never put up the decorations until after my birthday out of consideration." His face softened as he reminisced. A blood curdling scream and shaky camera work brought his attention back to the movie. After a minute, he turned slightly and asked, "Hey, Sebastian, when's your birthday?"

"Why? Going to throw me a party?" Sebastian asked mischievously, poking Ciel in the side.

"Pft, you wish. Just curious." Ciel flopped back into the couch cushions with feigned disinterest, eyes back on the screen. His bottom lip stuck out in the tiniest of subconscious pouts.

Amused, Sebastian threw the kid a bone and admitted, "Mine was September twenty-fourth."

"What?" Ciel said, straightening up and turning to face him fully. "That was, like, last week! Why didn't you say anything?"

Sebastian shrugged. "When you get older, birthdays stop being so important."

"Yeah, but still," Ciel argued. "I didn't even wish you happy birthday. So happy belated birthday, I guess," he offered lamely.

Sebastian smiled. "Thank you, though you did give me the best birthday present I've gotten by far." Ciel's brow furrowed in confusion, certain he hadn't given Sebastian anything. Leaning in, Sebastian cupped the boy's soft cheek and explained, "That was the night you let me top you. Best birthday ever," he whispered, kissing Ciel's forehead.

Cheeks burning, Ciel pulled back and swiped at his forehead. "Gah, don't get all emotional on me, weirdo." He scooted over to put some space between them and stared hard at the screen, face cherry red. He flushed even darker when Sebastian snickered.

The following Monday, Ciel entered Sebastian's office with something suspiciously resembling a wrapped gift. He extended the thin rectangle of shiny silver paper with a quiet, "Here. I thought you would like this."

Wide-eyed in surprise, Sebastian accepted it with an automatic "Thank you."

"Tch, don't thank me yet, stupid. Open it." Ciel flopped down into the guest chair and crossed his legs.

Huffing an almost silent laugh, Sebastian complied, peeling off the paper to reveal an orange paperback book titled "Dharma the Cat: Philosophy with Fur." He flipped through it, finding amusing comic strips of a philosophical Buddhist monk and his cat. Smiling brightly, he looked at Ciel to say sincerely, "Thank you; this is great. I love cats."

Ciel looked down, pleased and smiling lightly. "Good. It was a lucky guess then."

\---

**Friday, October 17**

Sebastian heard the loud stairway door bang closed and smiled, expecting Ciel to throw open his office door any second. He grew increasingly tense as he waited … and waited, then frowned as another office door shut somewhere down the hall. He checked the time. Ciel was running late today. He shrugged and turned back to his paperwork, placing grades on the last few quizzes. He stacked them neatly into his briefcase and tapped his pen on the desk, waiting.

Antsy, Sebastian walked to his own door and opened it, peering out into the empty hallway. He was debating sending a text to make sure Ciel was okay when Claude's door opened.

_Damn him, he knows Ciel is about to walk by. What is he playing at?_

Since the beginning, Claude had been very careful to keep himself out of Ciel's sight. They both agreed he would be an unnecessary distraction to the boy. Sebastian was torn between wanting to march over and snap at him to close his damn door and not wanting to be seen with Claude when Ciel arrived. The only thing worse than Ciel seeing Claude would be catching Sebastian talking to him. Best case scenario, it would make him nervous; worst case, he might think the two were up to something.

Sebastian ground his teeth and decided just to duck back into his office. There was a good chance Ciel would walk right by without looking in. However, movement caught his eye before he could act on his decision. A familiar head of ashy hair practically ran out of Claude's office, heading straight to the stairs and out of the building without even looking up. Claude smiled smugly at his back.

Face drawn into an unattractive scowl, Sebastian stepped further into the hall and demanded, "What the hell was that?"

Still smirking, Claude leaned against his own door frame lazily, facing Sebastian from down the hall. "Progress."

"I'm not in the mood for your cryptic shit right now, Faustus. What did you do to that boy?"

"Aww, are you worried about him?" Claude's golden eyes glinted in malicious amusement. "I assure you he doesn't deserve it."

Sebastian let out an exasperated sigh and marched closer, folding his arms. "For once in your life, would you just speak plainly?"

Claude regarded him in silence for a long moment before tilting his head and responding, "His money isn't his only secret, you know. That boy's been keeping a lot from you."

Sebastian sucked in a slow, frustrated breath between his teeth, trying not to let his irritation show. "That is the opposite of speaking plainly, Claude."

Eyes glinting merrily, Claude allowed, "I suppose it was. I just had to nudge him onto the right path. He'd gotten a bit distracted lately so I had to gently redirect his attention to its proper recipient."

A steady throbbing began to form in Sebastian's temple as he tried to unravel the meaning of Claude's twisty words. "I assume the 'proper recipient' would be me?" Claude nodded. "And it was previously on …" he faded out, looking at Claude curiously. The smug bastard just smiled. " _You_?" Sebastian asked incredulously. "You're telling me he was still after you?"

Claude shrugged, glancing down at this nails nonchalantly. "What can I say, the little bugger is quite persistent." With a wicked smile he added, "And much more enticing than that stupid blond friend of his."

Sebastian stared, stunned. He didn't want to believe it. "Did you just –"

"Sleep with him? No. Not this time, anyway, though it wasn't for his lack of trying. I actually just ended it with him for good." Claude continued on like he didn't notice Sebastian's shocked expression, "He should be completely focused on you now. So, yay, progress," he finished lightly with an air of disinterest.

"All this time, you'd been secretly fucking him behind my back?" Sebastian snarled.

Arching a thin brow, Claude responded calmly, "Of course not. Just because he threw himself at me doesn't mean I gave in." Sebastian's shoulders relaxed and Claude couldn't help but jab, "Much."

Glaring, Sebastian spat, "And you had the nerve to lecture me when you thought I was screwing around with Alois because it 'would mess up the plan?'"

Claude shrugged. "It would have. Ciel would have hated you if he found out and all our work would have been for nothing." At Sebastian's glare, he added, "I don't understand what you're all worked up about. You knew Ciel was a treacherous little shit from the beginning; isn't that why we're doing this in the first place? I just rejected him in no uncertain terms and now all he has is you. He's sure to be doubly clingy and attached, just like we wanted, right?"

Sebastian eyed him coldly. The thought of Claude's hands on Ciel sickened him. The thought that Ciel actually asked for it sickened him more. A rage he hadn't felt in weeks bubbled up inside him. "Right," he answered flatly. He was so caught up in making Ciel fall for him that had almost forgotten about the plan.

"Excellent," Claude noted, pleased. He stepped out into the hall, tugging his door closed and announcing, "It's time for my first class. See you later."

Sebastian watched him go, conflicted.

 _Well, I guess that answers the mystery of why he's a regular at Rise & Grind_, Sebastian thought bitterly. _And possibly some of Ciel's weirdness,_ he mused, thinking back to how surprised Ciel was to see him the first night he entered the boy's apartment. After the reaction of the coffee shop people, he could see how a sleepy Ciel might mistake him for Claude in a dim room. His brows furrowed at that thought, though, because it didn't seem like Ciel had been happy to see him-mistaken-for-Claude.

Sebastian shook his head. It was all too confusing.

Claude was right, though. The brat had cheated on him with Claude before; it was his MO.

… but they weren't exclusive, were they? Sebastian tilted his head, considering. Technically, they'd never had the boyfriend talk or made any lovey-dovey promises. In fact, it was fair to say from Ciel's guarded behavior and secretive comings and goings that he didn't consider them an item. He'd certainly never asked Sebastian for any such exclusivity.

Sebastian grimaced. He knew he was grasping at straws to excuse Ciel's behavior and hated himself for it. It didn't matter anyway because Plan B was quickly drawing to a close and his time with Ciel was almost over. Whatever the boy had or hadn't done, Sebastian would be washing his hands of him soon enough.

It should have been a relief, but for some reason the thought made him strangely sad.

Sebastian shook his head again to clear it and wiped his hands over his face. _I swear to God Claude manages to give me a bigger headache every day._ Looking at this watch, he cursed. He was already five minutes late to his own class. Sebastian snatched his briefcase out of his office and headed down to the auditorium, where he launched straight into the day's lecture without preamble. He scanned the room carefully as he spoke but didn't spot Ciel anywhere. It wasn't surprising, as the poor kid had just run away from Claude and was probably hiding somewhere they wouldn't cross paths. _Maybe Claude gives him a headache, too_ , Sebastian chuckled internally. _We could form a support group, make us both feel better._

Sebastian stuttered in his speaking as he suddenly realized that he cared more about Ciel feeling hurt than cheating on him. He covered up the sudden pause with a cough and swiftly handed out the attendance sheet to be passed around. Pushing thoughts of Ciel to the side for the moment, he powered through his lecture in half the normal time, not pausing to ask questions or go off on tangents like he normally would.

"And since you all showed remarkable improvement on your quizzes this week, I'm going to let you go early," he announced. He held up the stack of papers he had just finished grading this morning. "Come collect your quiz and you'll be free for the weekend." The excited buzz of happy murmurs and a few cheers filled the room. Students filed past his desk, smiling and thanking him. He nodded politely at them all, keeping his professional smile in place until the last one was gone.

Gathering up the unclaimed quizzes, he flipped through until he found Ciel's neat writing. The dark blue ink he used was almost the same rich blue color of his eye, which made Sebastian smile. He decided right then and there that he may only have two weeks left with Ciel, but he was going to enjoy them to the fullest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **And now we're caught up with where the Ciel/Alois side left off in chapter 3. ^_^**


	10. Chapter 10

**Saturday, October 18**

**The morning after Ciel and Alois teamed up.**

 

"Ciel, is something wrong?" Sebastian asked from across the room.

Ciel jerked upright on the couch. "W-what?"

Sebastian set the paper he was grading down on his dining room table and looked at the boy with interest. "You are unusually quiet. Is something bothering you?"

Ciel fidgeted for the thousandth time. Now that he realized he – ugh! – _liked_ Sebastian, he didn't know how to act around him. Before he realized his feelings, he probably would have spent today like every other Saturday morning: constantly interrupting Sebastian's work with idle conversation and increasingly irritating requests. He would have made some snappy retort to Sebastian's stupid question about things bothering him and continued with their usual playful banter. But now …

When he didn't get an answer, Sebastian rose from the table and walked the few steps over to the brown couch, settling himself next to Ciel. He placed a comforting hand on the boy's thigh. "What is it?"

Ciel put his book down on the coffee table and squirmed a bit before crossing his arms and frowning. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I think it's just this stupid cloudy weather. It put me in a funk," he explained lamely.

Sebastian lifted a single brow, lips curling into an amused smile at the ridiculous excuse. "The _weather_?"

Glaring at Sebastian's stupid perfect face, Ciel snapped, "That's what I said, isn't it?"

Grinning sharply, Sebastian teased, "The _weather_ rained on your mood? Does that mean you are now _under_ the weather? Is your sunshine clouded over–"

"Oh my God! Stop!" Ciel shouted, putting his head in his hands. "There is a special place in hell for people who make weather puns, you know."

"That's not actually a deterrent. I'm already going to hell; at this point it's go big or go home." Seeing Ciel's smile peeking out, he continued, "Hold on a second, I can almost remember one about a barometer."

Ciel smacked Sebastian's chest playfully and leaned his head on Sebastian's black thermal shirt. "Stupid," he muttered into the soft, waffled fabric. Sebastian wrapped his arms around Ciel, pulling him closer.

"Ah, there's my little brat. Welcome back."

"Shut up," Ciel commanded absently, face hidden in Sebastian's chest.

Sebastian chuckled. He idly ran his hands through Ciel's hair, watching how the blue-gray strands shimmered. Ciel hummed happily and scooted onto Sebastian's lap, wrapping his arms around the larger man's torso, head buried in his chest. They stayed like that for a few minutes, stroking and nuzzling in silence. Ciel rubbed his nose along Sebastian's neck, the silky skin and familiar smell of cinnamon both comforting and intoxicating. He was unbelievably content.

"You really must be out of sorts," Sebastian commented, rubbing Ciel's back. He could feel the delicate knobs of vertebrae through the layers of fabric.

"What'dja mean," Ciel murmured, eyes closed. It was so warm and soft here; he just wanted to drift off. He felt a rumble of vibration under his cheek from Sebastian chuckling.

"This is the first time you've ever wanted to cuddle."

Ciel's eyes snapped open at Sebastian's words. _Shit._ He immediately jerked away, face warm. He scooted back on his butt until he was safely wedged into the far corner of the sofa. Sebastian grinned and reached out to cup his cheek, running a thumb along it. "I wasn't complaining. It's actually kind of adorable."

Ciel's face reddened further he and turned away to hide it. "Tch," he spat, not trusting his voice.

Sebastian leaned back into the opposite corner of the couch, one arm along the back, the other pressed dramatically to his chest. "Oh my poor, broken little heart. How will it ever recover from this rejection?"

"You'll manage," Ciel grumbled, keeping his back to Sebastian as he waited for his face to cool. _Get it together, Phantomhive._

"I suppose this means you wouldn't be interested in going the Masquerade with me next weekend?"

Ciel peeked over his shoulder. "Masquerade?"

"U Penn is holding a Masquerade Gala at the Ritz on Tenth Street next Saturday. Food, dancing, costumes, the works."

Ciel sat up, considering. "That does sound interesting – but we can't. It's a school event." He grimaced at the thought of Claude catching him there with Sebastian.

Sebastian smirked. "You're forgetting – it's a masquerade. By definition, there will be masks and costumes. No one will know anyone there."

Ciel felt a little thrill at the thought of going out in public with Sebastian. Sure, they'd done it before, but it had always outside the city or when they were painfully platonic at school. The chance to do it here without hiding anything was thrilling. The possibility of getting caught added an extra spice. And – if he was completely honest with himself – the idea of going on a _date_ with Sebastian put butterflies in his stomach. It felt completely different than the other, what he could only now term "outings," they had gone on.

Determined to keep it cool, he made a careful show of considering Sebastian's invitation before allowing, "I _guess_ that's okay." He picked his book back up and diligently pretended that his heart wasn't doing excited flip-flops in his chest.

"So glad to meet your approval, young master," Sebastian intoned with a mocking seated bow. "I'll order the tickets on Monday and let you know what time it starts. Eight, I think."

Ciel waved a hand dismissively. Sebastian took the hint and moved back over to the table to continue grading. Ciel stared straight through the book, wondering what he should wear. He had never been the cheap latex and fake blood type. Hell, he'd never been the Halloween type at all. All those squealing children running around in garish colors and tacky outfits begging for handouts? No, thank you.

Unfortunately, his complete aversion to the holiday meant he had no experience at all dressing up. Ciel snuck a look at Sebastian's perfect profile and winced, imagining himself standing next to that gorgeous man dressed in an ill-fitting cheap polyester costume. People would think Sebastian was his dad or something.

He snapped his book closed with determined finality. There was only one thing to do. He cringed at the thought of doing it, but there was simply no way around it.

\---

"OH – EM – GEE!" Alois squealed.

"Oh, dear God," Ciel muttered.

"E-e-e-e-e-e!"

"Slay me now."

"S-q-u-e-e-e-e-e!"

Ciel slapped a hand to his face and sank down onto Alois's ugly orange recliner while the blond danced around excitedly, trilling his delight. He was the personification of everything Ciel hated about Halloween. Squealing? Check. Garish? Double check. Tacky? Don't even start. And that was exactly why Ciel needed him. Ciel knew what he wanted for a costume but had no idea how to get there. Alois, for all his obnoxious flamboyancy, could transform a pauper into a prince better than an entire Hollywood costume department – if said pauper didn't murder him out of frustration in the process.

Finally exhausted, Alois flopped onto the sofa, flat on his back.

"You done?" Ciel asked in a bored tone, picking at a cuticle.

"Nope," Alois chirped, excited.

"Can you hold it in until later?"

"No promises."

Ciel sighed and sat up. "I guess that's as good as it gets. Ready to get to work?"

"Definitely."

Ciel didn't have an exact costume in mind, so he explained the general idea of what he was wanting: Something classy, sexy, and expensive-looking. He didn't want to be childish, foolish, gross, or – shudder – _cute_. He wanted Sebastian to see him as an adult; an extremely desirable adult.

Alois nodded as Ciel spoke, wheels turning behind his eyes. He popped up enthusiastically and shouted, "Well, there's only one place we're going to get all of this!"

"Don't you dare say Diagon Alley," Ciel warned as Alois finished, "DIAGON ALLY!" Ciel groaned. "I'm not going as Harry Potter."

"Of course not," Alois assured him, gathering up his phone and keys. "That wouldn't be nearly good enough." Alois herded a reluctant Ciel out to Ciel's car and chattered non-stop about costume ideas as they drove to a huge department store. This was the first time Ciel had ever dressed up – much less let Alois dress him! – and Alois was going to make the most of it.

By the time they reached the store, they had a plan. Ciel had outright rejected Alois's favorite idea (a sexy angel in strappy white leather), but he gamely agreed to at least _try_ his second favorite. If that didn't work, they would fall back on Ciel's desired non-costume of a classic tuxedo and plain mask.

Half an hour later, Alois was skipping through the department store in his excitement, arms loaded down with the giant mismatched mélange of pieces he'd scavenged from all different departments. Ciel eyed him warily from the chair he had patiently waited in near the dressing room.

"Is that a little girl's shirt?" Ciel asked suspiciously, glaring at something frilly and white.

"I don't like to put labels on things."

Ciel's eye narrowed. "It is, isn't it?"

Alois walked into the dressing room without answering, calling, "Come on," over his shoulder. Ciel threw his head back and cast an exasperated look at the high ceiling. He huffed a heavy breath and reminded himself that he had agreed to try Alois's selection on, but he didn't have to buy it. He just had to power through the next five minutes and he'd be free to do his own thing.

He squared his shoulders and marched into the dressing room like he was going into battle. Ciel winced as he saw the unholy mess Alois had spread out all over the tiny space. Could all that really be for just one outfit? Ciel mentally upped his estimated suffering from five minutes to twenty five. He must have paused too long, because Alois grabbed his arm, yanked him in, and slammed the door, locking it quickly as if that would keep Ciel from bolting. When Ciel continued to stare at the pile in mute, terrified horror, Alois crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "Strip," he commanded.

"I –"

"The sooner you do this, the sooner it's over," Alois reminded him. He was certain Ciel would love his outfit once it was on, but there was no point arguing that now.

Ciel sighed yet again and stripped down to his underwear. Alois held up a pair of opaque white tights and Ciel balked. "None of that," Alois snapped, pushing him down into the sad dressing room chair. "Point your toes and stop being a baby." Ciel did as he was instructed, squeezing his eye closed and scrunching up his face. He fervently concentrated on what kind of tuxedo he would select once they were done here.

"Arms," Alois commanded, holding up the stupid frilly shirt. Ciel stood and shrugged it on, looking everywhere but the mirror. Alois nimbly flicked the buttons closed, all the way up the high collar. Layers of white lace tickled the backs of Ciel's hands and under his chin.

A vest, Ciel decided. He would get a royal blue vest with his tuxedo.

Next came black pants, which were thankfully from the men's department. Ciel's relief was short-lived when Alois knelt down and began cuffing them up. He pinned them tightly right below Ciel's knees to turn them into puffy pantaloons, explaining "I'll actually hem them up right and sew on buttons after we buy them." Ciel grunted noncommittally and obediently stepped into the black, low-heeled, buckled shoes Alois set in front of him. Once again, they were obviously from the women's department, but fortunately Ciel no longer had any fucks left to give.

A tie, Ciel decided as Alois wound a gauzy white scarf around his neck and tied it into an oversized bow. He would definitely be getting a black tie with his tux, not a bow tie and definitely not a giant gauzy scarf tied into a bow.

Alois slipped a gray-violet vest on over Ciel's shirt, buttoned it, and topped it with a royal blue jacket. The jacket was nice, made out of something like tweed or wool with a black velvet collar and trim. Ciel would have liked it if it hadn't hit him at the hips in the front and inexplicably hung down to his calves in the back like half of a dress.

Ciel watched idly as Alois wound a black belt around blue top hat and added fake flowers and ribbons in the same gray-violet of Ciel's vest. Had he listened to anything Ciel said at all? How could he possibly think this crazy getup met any of Ciel's criteria? Alois was amazing at costuming, but maybe following directions wasn't part of the deal. This might turn out to be a good costume, just not what Ciel wanted. With a look at the almost empty pile of supplies, Ciel shrugged. Whatever Alois was up to was almost over.

He stood patiently still as Alois placed the hat on him, but wanted to soften the blow of rejection a little. "Alois, I'm not sure …"

"Hush. Almost done. Don't say anything until you see it all."

Ciel stared down at what he could see of his strange outfit, unconvinced anything could save it at this point. Alois walked circles around him, adding finishing touches. A chain here, a ring there, a bow here, a pin there. At last he opened a box that looked like it came from the home department to pull out a wall hanging decoration. "We'll need to add an elastic so you can wear this, but just hold it up and use your imagination for now." Ciel accepted the thing Alois held out, realizing belatedly that it was half of a porcelain Carnival mask. It had a crazed white glaze, blue and black feathers fanning out along the temple, and would cover the right half of his face from chin to hairline.

Ready to get this over with, Ciel lifted the mask and turned to face the full length mirror – and froze.

His reflection was so unexpected that he took a step forward and almost jumped when it did as well. The coat gave him an impossibly narrow waist and broad shoulders. The puffy scarf/tie/bow added bulk to his thin chest. The silhouette of the pants and tights gave his noodle legs a hint of curvy musculature. The blocky, buckled shoes added two inches of much-needed height and should probably be credited for the unexpected definition in his calves. Even the hat he had been so skeptical about seemed to belong, pulling all the colors together and adding the illusion of even more height.

However, the crowning glory was definitely the mask. The aged porcelain matched Ciel's skin tone perfectly and the crackled glaze made him look like a shattered doll come to life. There was no eye hole, just a decoratively painted design. After years of seeing his reflection with a harsh black eyepatch, its absence was surprising.

After a few nerve-wracking minutes of watching Ciel gape at himself like a fish, Alois finally blurted, "Say something! You're killing me over here."

Ciel drew a breath, but didn't know what to say. Eventually, he just whispered, "Wow."

"Good wow?" Alois asked curiously.

Ciel nodded. There was no way Sebastian would be anything less than floored, he thought proudly. Ciel graced his friend with a rare smile. "It's amazing, 'Lois. Let's get this sorted so we can check out."

Alois helped Ciel strip down, removing pins and returning everything to its proper box, bag, or hanger. He happily chatted about fanning the crackle effect onto Ciel's skin a bit with stage makeup and how he was going to tweak various pieces once they got their haul home. As kind of an afterthought, he added, "Oh, yeah! I meant to tell you earlier: Claude's up to something."

Ciel side-eyed him and said in his least sarcastic voice, "Uh, yeah, 'Lois. That's why you're watching him, remember?" They had traded in "Operation Make Senpai Notice Me" for "Operation Watch Senpai Like a Hawk and Hope He Doesn't Notice Me."

Alois scrunched his nose and waved his hand. "No, not that; I mean something else."

Ciel's eyebrow rose. "What do you mean? What's he doing now?"

"I'm not really sure, but I saw a crying girl come out of his office last night. It was weird."

Ciel just shrugged, tucking a hanger back into the lacy shirt. "He's a teacher – and an asshole. It's not that weird at all."

"No, I don't know how to explain it, but she was _really_ upset. Like, more than someone crying over a bad grade. And he was smiling like he enjoyed it."

"He probably did," Ciel muttered, "the creep."

"And some old guy left his briefcase in Claude's office this morning. And then Claude talked to someone on the phone about some plans they had." Alois ticked each point off his fingers as if counting to make sure he remembered them all.

Ciel resisted the urge to rub his aching temples as he suddenly realized that he had effectively signed himself up for endless months of inane commentary on Claude Faustus. Alois was observant, but had absolutely no idea what was relevant and thus had apparently decided to pass along every scrap of information to Ciel for sorting. Instead of snapping, Ciel just nodded. "Okay, thanks. Good start."

Alois beamed as he grabbed half the pile and headed for checkout.

The following week flew by.

Alois peppered him with daily observations about Claude, most of which Ciel thought were completely stupid. He didn't say anything to discourage him, though, for fear of Alois trying to cull out the "unimportant" bits himself.

"He talked to Sebastian again."

Ciel nodded, not pausing his hand's motion over his current piece of homework. "They work together." He flicked the page over to begin filling out the back. It would have been easier if he'd had his Statistics notes with him, but his old notebook had disappeared a few weeks ago and his new one didn't have what he needed. He shrugged and did his best without it, Googling anything he didn't remember on his phone.

"Yeah … but I don't like it," Alois grumbled. "It's like they're friends or something."

"They probably are. Neither one of them is very social."

"Claude is," Alois countered absently as he shuffled through his own stack of homework, trying to decide where to start.

Ciel snorted. "No he's not. You said it yourself: if he's not at school, he's at home."

"Yeah, but he's always surrounded by people everywhere he goes. It's like they seek him out just to talk."

Ciel shrugged. "He's a teacher. He must have hundreds of students." Not wanting to discourage Alois, he added, "Just keep watching them and see if anyone sticks out."

While Alois was occupied with Claude, Ciel continued to enjoy his time with Sebastian.

"Do you have an idea for your costume yet?" Sebastian asked during their pre-class coffee in his office on Wednesday.

"Better; I already got it." Ciel crossed his legs and smirked smugly.

"Really? Damn, I was looking forward to picking them out together."

Ciel was almost sorry he already gotten his costume – almost. What Alois had pulled together was far better than any cheap dime store costume and he couldn't wait to surprise Sebastian with it. "Tch," he scoffed instead, crossing his arms and putting on the air of indifference he was pretty sure he used to use. "What am I, your girlfriend?" Was he mistaken or did a hint of hurt pass over Sebastian's face at his words?

Sebastian shrugged, voice unhelpfully normal as he said, "No, of course not. I just thought it would be a fun thing to do this afternoon. What is your costume?"

Ciel looked at him mischievously before responding, "A surprise."

Sebastian's eyebrows rose. "How very mysterious. Can I get a hint?"

"Nope."

"Not even a tiny one?"

"What part of 'surprise' do you not understand?"

"My lord is too cruel."

"You love it," Ciel sniffed haughtily.

Sebastian laughed, "That I do."

Ciel's face flamed and he looked down suddenly to hide it. _He practically said he loves me!_ "Masochist," he accused in a mutter. Ciel tossed the rest of his coffee down in one big gulp and grabbed his bag. "I'm going to head down to the classroom."

Sebastian nodded and watched Ciel retreat.

Initially, he hadn't believed Claude's plan would work. However, from the change in Ciel's behavior, the boy genuinely did like him. He had been noticeably less bossy and much more clingy. His pale skin flushed easily at Sebastian's words and it was unbelievably cute the way he nuzzled like a cat or hid his face when embarrassed. Sebastian smiled at the thought. Now, if only he could get Ciel to _say_ it.

_Then what?_

Sebastian's eyes widened at the thought. The plan. He knew he was supposed to get Ciel to proclaim it publically so Sebastian could reject him. However, the plan felt so distant. It had the feel of academic knowledge he never thought would become practical; like reading about how to self-amputate a limb in the wild versus actually having to do it. He had been working towards this goal for so long it didn't feel real anymore – hell, half the time he forgot it was even there. But now it was almost at hand.

_Three days._

He had three days until his time with Ciel would end. Everything was suddenly moving too fast. The thought made him mentally dig in his heels in a vain attempt to slow time, but his office clock kept ticking.

\---

"Stop squirming!" Alois commanded, exasperated.

"Stop trying to jab my eye out!" Ciel shot back, glaring at the mascara wand in Alois's hand. "I've only got one left."

"I wouldn't be jabbing your eye at all if you'd _stop squirming_."

Ciel snarled but stayed obediently still as Alois carefully wiped the smudges of mascara produced by Ciel's struggle off his cheek. With a warning look, he gently swiped the wand over Ciel's lashes again to enhance his doll-like look. "There. See? That wasn't bad at all, you big baby. Now remember not to rub it." Ciel sneered halfheartedly and didn't respond. As much as he wanted to kick up a fuss, he actually did need Alois's help and didn't want to risk antagonizing him too much.

As planned, Alois had continued the crackle effect of Ciel's mask out onto his neck, nose, chin, and forehead, fading it so that it was sharp near the mask and non-existent on the far side of Ciel's face. He had lined Ciel's exposed eye with black liquid liner and topped his lashes with mascara to make it huge. Dark blue shadow in the crease made its natural sapphire color look freakishly vibrant.

Ciel drew the line at lipstick, though.

"It's not lipstick; it's _gloss_ ," Alois explained like it made a damn bit of difference.

"It's girly as shit and I'm not doing it," Ciel retorted. "I've got enough makeup on already."

Alois let out a persecuted sigh and threw his hands up to the heavens. "You see what I have to deal with!? Artists get no respect."

"Please," Ciel scoffed. "I let you do literally everything else you wanted, including sticking that stupid rhinestone pin in my hair. I've been more than tolerant." Ciel whipped off the towel Alois had wrapped around his shoulders to protect his costume while they did makeup.

"You didn't let me turn you into a sexy bondage angel," Alois sulked.

"Did you honestly expect me to?" Ciel asked, tugging his coat straight and giving his completed costume a last once-over. He was genuinely shocked at how much he looked forward to dressing up; maybe there was some merit to this silly holiday after all. Alois grumbled something inarticulate as he carefully returned the paints and shadows to his tackle box. Ciel tucked his wallet and keys into his pocket. "You sure you don't want to come?"

Alois huffed a breath of laughter. "Please. And be a third wheel on your first ever real _da-a-a-a-te_?" he teased. Ciel pinked but didn't argue the point. "Nah, I'm probably just gonna hang out here or do a run-by on Claude. He seems to spend all his free time sitting in his office at school like a creeper."

So far, Alois had turned up absolutely nothing of interest on the Claude front. He just went to work and went home. He did seem to spend an excessive amount of time in his office, but that's hardly criminal. The most suspicious thing Alois had overheard (if it could even be called "suspicious" at all) was a series of phone calls detailing what sounded like Claude's weekend double-date plan. Ciel was beginning to wonder if Claude actually was up to anything or if he was projecting his own desire to see Claude as a bad guy. He wasn't ready to call Alois's surveillance off just yet, though.

"Yeah," Ciel said, shrugging. "Have fun with that." He turned toward the door at a sharp, polite knock. "Talk about timing; that's my ride. See you later."

"Have fun," Alois called at his back. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Ciel half turned on his way to the door to ask, "And what would _that_ be?"

Alois considered before shrugging. "Lemme know if you find out."

Ciel laughed and waved him off with a hand. He was still smiling when he opened the door, but felt his face fall quickly into an expression of surprise.

Sebastian was dressed in a deep burgundy suit accented with black buttons, trim, and pocket square. The stark contrast of his black shirt and tie against his pale neck made his normally fair skin look shockingly paper white. A beautifully detailed devil mask covered the top half of his face, complete with little curling horns. His eyes were ringed in black under the mask, turning their unusual garnet color into eerie ruby red.

Eyes wide at Ciel's costume, Sebastian smiled broadly to reveal subtle fangs and extended a black-nailed hand. "You look incredible," he complimented. "Ready to go?"

Ciel nodded and laced his fingers into Sebastian's, allowing the taller man to lead him down to the car.

Sebastian kept sneaking glances at Ciel as he drove, enthralled by the boy's transformation into a porcelain doll. The way Ciel stared out the windshield without moving made it almost eerie. Sebastian's hands twitched with the desire to touch him. To break the silence, he asked, "What are you smirking at over there?"

Ciel jumped, jerking out of his thoughts. "Oh – just about our costumes. We almost matched."

"Oh really?" Sebastian asked, curious.

"Yeah, Alois really wanted to dress me up as an angel."

Sebastian laughed. "That would have been something to see. I can't imagine Alois pushing for something so tame, though."

Ciel's ears burned red as he admitted, "He actually wanted to do a sexy leather bondage angel."

Sebastian practically choked on the image before laughing again. "Now, that does sound like him. I _definitely_ would have liked to see you in it." He cut his eyes over to give Ciel a smoldering look and hint of fang, making the boy's heart flip-flop.

Their destination had strobing neon lights and profuse Halloween decorations spilling out onto the sidewalk. It definitely looked like a party, even from the street. Sebastian pulled up the curb, handing his keys to a valet. He took Ciel's hand and led the boy inside, following the signs and decorations to the huge double-ballroom designated for U Penn's party. He reached into the breast pocket of his suitcoat, exchanging the valet stub for the masquerade tickets and handing them off to the ticket-taker dressed as a ghoul.

"Have a _frightfully_ good time," the worker groaned theatrically as he stamped their hands. Ciel rolled his eyes, allowing Sebastian to drag him through a series of black drapes and into the darkened ballroom.

Neon lights flashed and spun, illuminating the decorations and blinking along with the Halloween music pouring from the speakers. At a buffet table, white cotton cobwebs and skulls glowed under black lights while cauldrons of punch with dry ice spewed steam. It was a little childish, but looked oh-so-fun. Ciel couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face as he looked up at Sebastian to see the other man's reaction. To his surprise, Sebastian was already smiling down at him.

"What would you like to do first?" Sebastian asked, giving Ciel's hand a little squeeze.

"Punch," Ciel said immediately, dragging the taller man toward the cauldrons where another ghoul-worker was carefully ladling out drinks. Ciel picked his way down the buffet as they walked deeper into the room, sampling the holiday-themed goodies as he went. "Hey!" he said, perking up suddenly and pointing to a shadowy back corner, "it looks like they have a haunted house set up over there!"

Without missing a beat, Sebastian placed a hand on Ciel's shoulder and said gamely, "Okay, let's go." He let the excited boy lead him through the crowd, keeping ahold of his shoulder so he wouldn't lose the small thing. As expected from a college party, it was a cheap and simple haunted 'house' with black cloth walls, dangling plastic bats, and inexperienced workers. Ciel seemed to be enjoying it, though, so Sebastian amused himself by watching his delighted reactions. He actually squeaked and buried his face in Sebastian's chest when an overall-clad man jumped out and revved a (chainless) chainsaw, making the older man laugh merrily as he patted the kid's back.

"Shut up! He startled me!" Ciel grumbled, glaring icily at the worker as he called a "Happy Halloween!" at them before retreating to his hiding spot. Mapping their steps in his head to try and guess their location in the house, he announced, "I think we have one more room. Ready?"

Smirking, Sebastian teased, "Whenever you feel well enough."

Ciel popped him in the chest lightly with the back of his hand. "Bastard," he muttered without venom. Tugging his coat straight, he stepped pushed open the cloth 'door' – and stepped straight into hell. The room was set up like a normal living room, but glowing with orange light. Faux flames coated the furniture, triangular strips of plastic wiggling as they were blown by fans. His chest clenched as the soundtrack played sounds of pops and sizzles intermixed with a screaming woman. Memories of his burning house ripped through him, making him tremble. Sweat beaded on his lip. He didn't realize he had stopped moving until Sebastian called his name.

"I – I'm fine," he stuttered, taking a deep breath. He knew Sebastian was probably looking at him with pity and he didn't want to see it. He marched straight ahead, scowling at this room's worker hard enough to make her duck back into her alcove without doing anything. The sound of a shattering window made him flinch and he didn't know if it was in his head or not.

His shoulders eased as he pushed through the final curtain to find himself back in the cool, black light lit main ballroom where the party was still going full-swing. He carefully unclenched his fists as he sat down in one of the chairs lining the walls, yanking off his hat and throwing it down next to him so he could run his fingers through his hair. Sebastian was a comforting presence next to him. The larger man just sat, watching him with concern but not speaking. A large hand engulfed both of his small ones and he sighed, leaning his head against Sebastian's shoulder.

"I'm okay," he said, not sure if he was speaking to himself or Sebastian. "It wasn't real."

Sebastian reached his other hand over to cradle Ciel's head as he placed a kiss on the crown. "You're okay," he affirmed. "I won't let anything hurt you."

Ciel looked up at his words, staring at him with a bottomless blue eye thoughtfully. A small smile turned the corner of his lip and he straightened up, sitting neatly in his own chair. He took a few slow, relaxing breaths before nodding and saying, "I just need a minute, do you mind?"

Sebastian retracted his hand. "Not at all." _I have something I need to do_.

Seeing Ciel so vulnerable made Sebastian realize that he wanted to protect him. He hadn't intended to say it out loud, but once the words were free, he realized he meant them. And step one in doing that was calling off Claude. He gave Ciel's head a comforting pat before wandering down a hallway, searching for quiet. Once he found a suitable place, he pulled out his phone and tapped Claude's number.

Claude answered after the second ring with: " _Is it finished?_ "

Sebastian hesitated, wishing he'd thought of what to say before calling. Taking a deep breath, he said, "No. I decided not to go through with it. It's over."

Claude hissed in displeasure. " _It's not over until you finish it properly. Pull your head out of your ass and follow through. Don't forget what that little runt has put you through._ "

Sebastian sighed and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "I know, I know, but it doesn't matter. I'm done."

" _Sebastian, you are going to go out there and finish what we started,_ " Claude said firmly. " _There is no way I'm letting you throw away two months of my work because you got cold feet._ "

Sebastian rubbed his eyes. "I know, and I'm sorry. Thanks for your help. I really did appreciate it, but I can't do this. I'll make it up to you somehow."

Claude laughed. " _You're acting like you have a choice in this. Let me assure you, you don't._ "

Sebastian gaped at his phone. "What?"

" _You are not going to quit on me because you went all soft and stupid and have_ feelings _now. I expect you to march back out there and tear that boy's heart out of his chest like we planned all along or so help me, I will make your life a living hell._ "

A frown creased Sebastian's face. "No," he said stubbornly.

He could practically hear Claude's teeth grinding. " _Did you forget that you are fucking your student? I could have you fired just like that_ ," he said with a snap.

"So do it," Sebastian challenged.

" _You'll never get another job with that on your record._ "

"I don't care."

The sound of a thump and breaking glass echoed through the speaker. " _I don't know what you're trying to accomplish, but there's not going to be a happy ending here._ " Claude warned. " _I'm giving you one last chance: work with me now and I'll forget you ever tried to back out_."

"Pass."

Silence hung heavy for a few seconds before Claude whispered, " _So be it_." The line disconnected with a click.

\---

Across town, Claude screamed with fury, smashing another delicate teacup against the wall of his office in a fit of rage. This was exactly why he always worked alone. How dare Sebastian snatch victory from his fingertips at the last second? He was so close to having Ciel as his own. He had never wanted anything as much as he wanted that boy to be broken so he could pick up those vulnerable, hurting little pieces and fit them back together with himself as the glue. He would have fashioned Ciel into his most exquisite creation: beautiful and damaged, powerful and fragile; a perfect study in contrasts. His mouth practically watered at the thought.

Sebastian had ruined _everything_.

Claude snarled, determined to make the bastard pay. If only he knew how …. He pressed a finger to his lips as he ambled slowly around his desk, deep in thought. A shard of bone china cracked under his shoe, drawing his attention downward.

 _Damn, it was my favorite set_ , he thought, silently adding it to his list of grievances against Sebastian.

Claude knelt down carefully to pick up the sharp pieces. A soft knock sounded against his door, startling him and causing the edge of the shard he was reaching for to nick his fingertip. "Are – are you okay in there?" a soft voice called. "I don't mean to bother you, but I heard something break."

Squatting on the floor, Claude looked at the bead of blood on his fingertip with a sigh. "I'm fine. It was just a teacup."

The door cracked open and a familiar blond head poked in. "Can – can I get you anything," Alois asked timidly, prepared to be verbally berated as always when Claude found him lurking around.

Claude bit back his knee-jerk reaction of telling the kid to piss off and admitted, "A dust pan would probably be wise. There's one in the closet at the end of the hall." Alois's head retracted before the last syllable left his lips. He stuck his finger into his mouth and retrieved the small first aid kit from his bottom desk drawer. Alois returned as he was wrapping his finger and immediately dropped to his knees, sweeping the shards into a pan without speaking. Claude watched with interest as the kid worked.

"Are you okay?" Alois asked quietly, still not meeting his gaze.

"I will be," Claude answered flatly, chest empty from the loss of Ciel. _A minor setback_ , he reassured himself. He was confident he could devise a solution to get everything back on track shortly.

Alois tapped the pan against Claude's trash can, emptying the shards and drawing Claude's attention. _Speaking of plans …_ he thought with a sudden flash of inspiration. Claude schooled his expression into one of hopelessness, which wasn't too far of a stretch considering the ache in his chest. "Thank you," he said kindly, sadly.

Alois looked up at the unexpected thanks. "Um, you're welcome." Claude had been nothing but cruel to him for the past few weeks, so this was a change. He turned to leave, but paused, glancing over his shoulder to find Claude staring morosely at his bandaged finger. Screwing up his courage, Alois turned around and pressed his luck. "What happened?"

Claude just sighed. "I got angry and threw my cup at the wall." He rubbed the edge of his bandage and laughed self-deprecatingly. "It wasn't very smart, was it?"

Alois set down the broom and pan, taking a cautious step toward the desk. "I know what that's like." When Claude didn't yell at him, he eased into one of the chairs and asked, "What's wrong?"

Claude chewed his lip as if indecisive. "I probably shouldn't say."

"You can tell me," Alois said hopefully, emboldened by the lack of Claude's usual ire. "I know you probably think I'm stupid and annoying, but it's only because I like you," he admitted, feeling slightly traitorous. He tried to tell himself that he was only doing this for Ciel; this could lead to some important information.

Claude allowed a soft smile to curve his lips as he looked Alois in the eye. "Well, maybe you _can_ help," he allowed with the faintest tinge of hope.

"Anything," Alois said, reaching out to rest a hand on Claude's forearm.

Claude stared down at it for a minute before slowly starting, "It's about your friend, Ciel."

Alois tensed. He wanted to withdraw his hand, but didn't want Claude to know that _he_ knew what Claude had done to Ciel. "What about him?" Alois asked, trying to sound concerned, not freaked out.

"I really shouldn't tell you this, but someone has to know. Sebastian has been taking advantage of Ciel," Claude confided quietly, allowing distress to color his voice.

"W-what?" Alois stammered like it was news that Ciel was sleeping with his teacher. He obviously knew – and approved! – but he couldn't tell Claude that. And it was probably bad that Claude knew, Alois realized. He might report them or something. "You mean they're, like, dating?" he asked to buy some time.

Claude shook his head. "No, I wish it was like that." He glared at his bookcase before snarling passionately, "That bastard Michaelis is playing some sick game with the kid. He told me how he's only using Ciel because he hates him. He wants to get his hopes up and hurt him somehow." He looked at Alois with pain in his eyes. "That's what made me fly off the handle a few minutes ago. Sebastian just called to brag about how he was going to do it tonight and there's nothing I can do."

Alois stared at him, stunned. _Is he telling the truth?_ Alois held onto the thin tendril of hope that Claude might actually want to help. He knew he was supposed to hate Claude because of what he'd done to Ciel, but he was still fascinated by the older man. Maybe Ciel had misread him. He eyed Claude warily, not ready to believe him just yet. After all, he had done some pretty shady shit.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Claude rolled his eyes, tone almost back to his usual snark when he said, "Because I thought you could help, but it looks like I was wrong." He stood suddenly, shoving his phone and wallet into his pockets with jerky motions. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home and drink until I forget the torment that poor boy will be going through shortly."

"W-wait!" Alois shouted, jumping to his feet to grab Claude's wrist as he passed. "What is Sebastian going to do to him?"

"How the hell should I know what that psycho has cooked up in his twisted mind?" Claude spat with a grimace. "I'd warn Ciel myself, but I don't have his number. If you care about your friend at all, I think you should at least let him know what's going on." Claude gave Alois a level look before pulling the boy out in into the hall and locking his office. Without saying another word, he turned to leave, smiling as he heard the tell-tale sounds of a number being dialed.


	11. Chapter 11

Ciel trembled with fury as he hung up the phone. An endless loop of _How dare he?_ played in his head as he ground his teeth. Ciel knew he was too angry to act rationally and was actually looking for an exit when all chances of making a clean getaway were spoiled. Sebastian had noticed he was off the phone and was approaching quickly. Ciel took a few steps further down the quiet hallway he had stepped into to take Alois's call, but it was futile. Sebastian's legs ate up the distance in no time.

"Ciel?" Sebastian asked with concern in his voice. Closing the last few steps, he reached out to comfort the seething boy.

"Don't touch me!" Ciel screamed, whirling around and knocking his hand away.

"Ciel, what's wrong?" Sebastian asked, stunned.

"Don't you dare ask me what's wrong." Ciel clenched his hands at this sides and spat, "I know all about how you were using me in some stupid _game_."

Sebastian's eyes widened under his mask. "Ciel, no!"

Any doubts Ciel may have had were wiped away by the fear in Sebastian's eyes. He was definitely guilty. "You bastard – you absolute _bastard_!" Ciel shrieked, not caring that they were in public. "Alois told me all about it, you sick fuck, how this is all some kind of twisted amusement for you. How you secretly hate me and are just leading me on until you can hurt me. _How dare you_!" Angry tears streamed down his face as a knot twisted in his chest.

"It's not like that, I swear! I swear, Ciel," Sebastian pleaded. He held out a hand like he wanted to touch the boy, but didn't risk it again.

Ciel was furious with himself for crying. He wiped his face angrily, smearing his makeup, and demanded, "So you never lied to me? You never planned to hurt me?"

Sebastian looked down and sighed before meeting Ciel's gaze. "Yes, it did start out that way," he admitted earnestly. At Ciel's hiss he quickly continued, "But things changed! I got to know you as a person and I think you've changed, too. I care about you. Call me stupid, but I actually do care about you in spite of everything you've done."

"What?" Ciel sputtered, irritated that the man was trying to turn this back on him. "What the hell do you mean 'in spite of everything I've done'? You were using me, asshole!"

Sebastian scoffed. "Now who's playing innocent?" At Ciel's continued confusion, he laughed humorlessly. "Don't tell me you've forgotten who instigated this whole ordeal. _You_ threatened _me_ , remember? You blackmailed me into a relationship."

Ciel gasped and took an involuntary step back, disgusted. "What are you _talking_ about? I did no such thing!" he protested. What the hell was Sebastian playing at?

"Please," Sebastian stated flatly. "You told me that we had a relationship whether I wanted it or not. I'd have to be stupid not to recognize the threat behind that."

Ciel's mouth fell open. "Sebastian – no! God, no. I would never …" he trailed off in horrified silence.

Sebastian's brows rose in surprise as he watched Ciel's reaction. He appeared genuinely appalled at the idea. Could it be? Had he misunderstood what Ciel meant all those weeks ago? But Claude had told him how Ciel bragged about it – his face fell flat as that name crossed his mind. Claude. _That manipulative ass_ , he snarled internally. Needing to be certain, he asked Ciel slowly, "You weren't threatening to get me fired?"

Ciel stared him in the eye and said firmly, feeling the need to be perfectly clear, " _No_. I was flirting with you."

"The way you ordered me around, I guess I always thought …" Sebastian trailed off, lost in thought.

"I'm bossy," Ciel huffed, crossing his arms. "It's my nature. You just didn't stand up for yourself in the beginning." Ciel's gaze wandered as he thought back to some of their early interactions, how quiet and distant Sebastian had been. It made sense now. His gut rolled when he remembered a strange comment Sebastian had made about Ciel not giving him a choice about sex. "Oh, God," he whispered, legs feeling weak. He reached a hand out to steady himself on the wall as he looked back up at Sebastian. "You thought I was blackmailing you. You only had sex with me because you thought I was forcing you." His head suddenly felt very hot. "I'm going to be sick."

Sebastian gripped both of Ciel's upper arms to keep him from tumbling over. "Steady." He held the boy and took deep, calming breaths, relieved when Ciel automatically mimicked him. When Ciel finally stood under his own power again, Sebastian released him and said, "Clearly, we have things to talk about and this isn't the best place for it."

Ciel nodded, eyeing Sebastian cautiously. "I agree, but given the situation, I don't think it would be right to go back to one of our apartments."

"I don't blame you for not trusting me right now. What would make you comfortable?"

Ciel pondered the question before suggesting, "Firstly, let's get out of these costumes." Sebastian nodded his agreement. "Then we can meet back up at the museum. It'll be closed, but it has lights and cameras and security. It's public without being crowded."

"I can agree to that. Do you trust me enough to drive you home? I promise to be on my best behavior and not talk about any of this in the car." Ciel stared at him so long Sebastian was certain he would say no before nodding. Not trusting what would happen if he tried to touch him again, Sebastian gestured toward the exit, allowing Ciel to lead the way.

They rode in dead silence. Sebastian's mind whirred with questions, chief among them was how much of what happened had been manipulated by Claude? Ciel's mind on the other hand was filled with cotton, like gauze packing a wound. No matter how much he tried, coherent thoughts wouldn't form around it.

The tension in the car was so great that Ciel sighed in relief when he finally saw his building. Sebastian pulled up to the front, stopping at the curb for the first time instead of the parking lot. It felt strange. Ciel opened his door and hesitated, staring at his feet as he spoke. "I'll meet you on the front steps." Not waiting for a reply, he hopped out and scrambled inside.

\---

Yellow light spilled out over the grand Grecian steps of the darkened museum, painting the world in sepia tones. This time Ciel was waiting on the steps when Sebastian arrived, looking oddly muted in the shades of brown produced by the artificial light. He was sitting, but stood as Sebastian approached. The boy half-smiled as he repeated Sebastian's line from that earlier day: "I was about to get worried you stood me up."

Sebastian gave a single huff of dry laughter, clearly remembering.

They stared awkwardly for a few heartbeats. It had felt like there was so much to say when emotions were running high earlier, but now that both had cooled off neither new where to start. Finally, Ciel leaned back against a column and crossed his arms. "So," he stated. He had intended to go on, but didn't know what to say next. Sebastian looked so alien with golden skin and brown eyes in the weird light.

Sebastian mirrored his posture against the opposite column facing Ciel. "I think it would be best to start at the beginning."

Ciel nodded. "Okay. Well, to start at the very beginning, Alois dragged me to the shitty rave where we met."

"Likewise with me and Claude," Sebastian responded. "I thought you were a teacher; you thought I was a student. I nearly shat a brick when I saw you in class," he admitted, laughing despite the serious situation they were currently in.

Ciel smiled. "I remember. It was so hard not to laugh. I guess that was the first time we got our wires crossed, huh?"

Sebastian nodded, expression going serious. "Yeah. I think the second time was when I thought you were threatening to report me for sleeping with you."

"I really wasn't," Ciel said, straightening up and uncrossing his arms.

Sebastian nodded. "I believe you. But at the time, that's what I thought was going on. Honestly, it was cute at first."

"At first?" Ciel asked, dreading the answer. Had he done something bad to make Sebastian change his mind?

Sebastian's brows furrowed. "You disappeared right after we had sex that day, blew me off with a text."

Ciel's stomach clenched. _No, no, no, he was never supposed to know about Claude!_

Watching Ciel carefully, Sebastian continued, "The next morning Claude showed up in my office." Ciel's breathing increased, shallow and fast. He had the illogical desire to run away. "He told me you dropped me to have sex with him." Sebastian let the words hang, waiting.

A tear ran down Ciel's face.

"So, it's true? You slept with Claude?"

Ciel panted frantically, unable to find his voice. Ashamed, looked away and nodded.

A knife twisted in Sebastian's gut. He was hoping Claude had been lying about that, too. "I see," he said emotionlessly. "But you obviously didn't brag to him about blackmailing me."

Stunned, Ciel looked back at Sebastian, face wet with tears. "He said that?" Ciel gasped.

Sebastian chuckled. "Yeah. Tricky bastard must have picked up on what was going on somehow. I told him you blew me off, and he obviously knew what you were doing." Ciel flinched. Shaking his head, Sebastian said, "It doesn't matter. I was so hurt and furious that you left me for him that I didn't think twice when he claimed you bragged about using me." Eyes dark with hurt, he muttered, "I still don't understand why you did it." He didn't go on and Ciel didn't know how to respond.

The silence grew more and more oppressive until Ciel finally broke under its weight.

"It wasn't like I wanted to!" Ciel finally shouted, suddenly furious. Sebastian looked up at the sudden outburst, startled. "He found out about us," Ciel ground out. "He saw me in the hallway and smelled your cologne on me and saw your _stupid_ text message," Ciel panted out in one big breath. Shameful tears slipped out as he spoke, voice growing softer. "He dragged me into his office as you walked by and threatened to report you to the dean if I didn't spend the night with him." Hugging himself, Ciel whispered, "I didn't want to blow you off."

Sebastian's mouth had fallen open during Ciel's rant. "My God," he breathed as he finally processed what Ciel said. That _monster_ had forced Ciel to have sex with him and used it to his advantage. Without consciously thinking, he crossed the distance to pull Ciel into his arms. "I am so sorry," he murmured into the boy's temple. Ciel sniffled against his shoulder. Sebastian petted his hair as the boy cried, rocking him slightly as they stood.

"Is that why you wanted to hurt me?" Ciel asked softly into Sebastian's neck as his tears died down.

A piece of Sebastian's heart felt like it cracked and broke off at Ciel's tiny, hurt voice. Sebastian cringed, disgusted at his past self. He had hated Ciel all this time for something Ciel had done to protect him. Pulling back a little, he tried to look Ciel in the face but the boy wouldn't meet his eyes. "Yes, partly. I hated you for all the things it turns out you didn't do."

"I did sleep with Claude," Ciel argued, still unable to look Sebastian in the eye. He had enjoyed sleeping with Claude, which somehow made it worse.

Sebastian pinched Ciel's chin between his thumb and index finger, turning it to face him. "Look at me. _Look_ at me, Ciel." Once the blue orb met his own, Sebastian said firmly, "He coerced you. Manipulated you. You did nothing wrong. You put yourself through that to protect me and I'm so sorry you felt you had to." Sebastian cupped both of Ciel's cheeks and kissed him on the forehead.

Ciel breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back, pushing Sebastian away. He voice was still shaky, but he pressed on. He needed to know. "Okay, so you were only pretending to like me as part of your plan?" 

Sebastian sighed, really not wanting to talk about it now. He leaned back against the column again to put some space between them. Lying about it wouldn't change what he did, so he told the truth. "Yes, to start with." Ciel's lips pinched at the admission, but he didn't interrupt. "I hated you in the beginning. I thought you were blackmailing me and Claude told me you bragged about it when you slept with him. I was hurt and embarrassed and angry so I let him talk me into getting revenge." He swallowed.

 _So Claude was in on this, too?_ Ciel felt so stupid. "What did you do?" Ciel asked, tears drying.

Closing his eyes, Sebastian confessed, "A bunch of stupid, petty shit to make myself feel better. For the first few weeks, I dropped you from one of your classes whenever you pissed me off."

"That was _you_!?" Ciel gasped. "I was losing my damn mind over that! The school changed my student ID three times and jacked up all my info."

Sebastian winced. "Sorry," he said lamely.

Eyes narrowed, Ciel demanded, "What else?"

"I may have been responsible for your phone battery always being dead."

Ciel rolled his eyes. "Stupid and petty indeed. I wondered how that kept happening. I never noticed it only happened when I was around you." While annoying, it was nowhere near as bad as the rest. "Go on."

"I …" Sebastian looked down. "I slashed your tire once."

Ciel's mouth fell open, remembering the day. "You asshole! You slashed my tire knowing my phone was dead?" Sebastian grimaced. "You made me miss work. I got in big trouble for not calling in, but I _couldn't_ , now could I? Hell, I couldn't even call for help." Ciel crossed his arms, pissed. He let the silence speak for him.

"Ciel, I don't know what to say. I am really sorry about all of it now."

An angry eye bore into him as Ciel asked frostily, "Was that all?"

Sebastian ran his hands through his hair before sighing loudly. "Yes, I think. The big stuff, at any rate." Ciel continued to glare. "I swear! The rest of it was stupid. I hid your notebooks every now and then. And that apron you keep in the back of your car."

"You mean my _work_ apron? The one that I got in trouble for losing repeatedly? I thought I was going crazy because it always showed back up in my car but it was _you_ the whole time?"

"I didn't know it was that important, honest," Sebastian pleaded. "I just wanted to irritate you."

Ciel snorted. "Consider me irritated. I almost my job over your stunts. Only an idiot could get fired from that crappy retail position and you almost made me."

Sebastian couldn't think of anything else to say, so he apologized again.

"You keep saying that, but it doesn't make it better." Ciel shook his head. "I can't believe I trusted you."

Tired of being the only one getting blamed for everything, Sebastian asked, "Did you?"

Ciel jerked like he had been struck. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? I thought you cared about me. I opened up to you and every bad thing that happened to me for the past two months was your fault!" he snarled.

Sebastian couldn't help but laugh. " _Trusted_ me? _Opened up_ to me? Ciel, I don't think you know how."

Ciel gaped. "How dare you say that! After everything you've done."

Locking eyes, Sebastian asked, "Oh really? How long did it take you to _accidentally_ invite me to your apartment? Your amazingly nice apartment that you obviously don't pay for with your self-declared 'crappy retail position.' How long did you let me call you an English major before correcting me? We've been together two months and I know nothing about you except for what tiny pieces you grudgingly let slip."

Ciel barked a cold laugh. "Well, it's a good thing I _didn't_ tell you anything or you would have just used it to hurt me."

Sebastian threw up his hands in frustration. "It's not like that anymore. I care about you; I'd never hurt you."

"So you say. What changed?"

"You. You changed me." Ciel scoffed at the cliché line. "It's true! The more time I spent with you, the more amazing I realized you really are. Ciel, you're brilliant, so smart and interesting. I love talking to you, being with you. And beneath that prickly exterior you actually have a huge heart; you care so much about Alois and me and everyone around you. I was supposed to trick you into confessing your feelings tonight, to declaring your love in front of everyone at that party so I could reject you – but I couldn't do it." Sebastian's eyes stung and be blinked back moisture. "Ciel, I wasn't going to go through with it. I told Claude today that it was over. Even when I thought you did all those horrible things, I forgave you. I wanted to put it all behind us and just be together." Breathing in a shuddering breath, Sebastian reached out to touch Ciel's cheek. "I love you," he whispered for the first time.

Ciel flinched away, wrapping his arms around himself protectively. "No. Don't touch me. Don't _say_ that." His face twisted painfully. "You terrorized me for two months and expect me to believe you love me?"

Sebastian stepped forward, reaching out again. "I do. I do love you."

Ciel stepped out of reach again, frowning. "Stop saying that. I don't believe you."

"Ciel – "

"No!" Ciel screamed, voice echoing in the empty night. "You're sick. You've been fucking with me since we met and you magically confess your love when you get caught? Do you honestly think I'm that stupid? I'm not falling for it. I'm done with this; I'm done with you." He backed two more steps away before blurting out, "Leave me alone."

"Ciel!" Sebastian said again, desperately reaching out to catch his arm. Ciel shrugged out of his grip, muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Fuck you," and ran off into the darkness. Sebastian wanted to chase after him but knew it would only make things worse. Instead, he cradled his head in his hands and slid down the column to sit on the ground. _How did everything get so fucked up?_

\---

Like a ghost, Ciel vanished.

He didn't show up Monday morning and honestly, Sebastian hadn't expected him to. He was absent from class as well, clear through to Friday. When Sebastian finally worked up the courage to send him a text after lunch, it bounced back as undeliverable. Frowning, Sebastian logged into the school's computer network to see if they had his new contact info. His heart plummeted. Ciel had not only dropped his class, but all the others as well. He was no longer a student at U Penn.

Sebastian felt like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs. He never knew something could hurt so much. He laughed at the irony as tears dripped down his face. _Karma, you beautiful bitch_. This is precisely what he had planned to do to Ciel. It was only fitting that he suffer it instead as penance.

Sometime later a soft knock rapped on his door and Sebastian looked up to realize he had been wallowing for the better part of an hour. He had run out of tears a long time ago, but wiped his face anyway and took a deep breath before calling, "Come in." The door opened to reveal the one person he absolutely never wanted to see again. Claude. Fingers fisted around the arms of his chair, Sebastian snarled, "I'm going to fucking murder you."

"Peace," Claude said, lifting a hand.

"Fuck peace!" Sebastian bellowed, shooting to his feet and jabbing a finger at the golden-eyed man. "You are a fucking _monster_ and I never want to see you again."

"Does that make you the pot or the kettle?" Claude asked, still in the hall. "If I remember correctly, there were two of us in on this."

Sebastian chucked a tray of paperclips at his head. "You sick, twisted bastard! This is all your _fault_ ," Sebastian raged. "He's gone and I'll never see him again."

Claude scoffed. "Hardly. If you had half a brain, you could find him easily."

"I'm not in the mood for your games, asshole." Sebastian gripped the edge of his desk so hard he heard it groan. He felt the irrational urge to flip it.

"I'll get straight to the point, then. I don't like how we left things last week. I was wrong to threaten to turn you in and I want to let you know that I'm not going to do it. I don't want us to be enemies," he said levelly, face neutral as always.

"It's too late for that. Now get the fuck out of my sight and never speak to me again or I swear to God I'll kill you."

"I'm surrounded by idiots," Claude lamented, turning to go. "I already told you his secret," Sebastian barely heard him say as he walked off, leaving the door open.

Sebastian stomped around his desk to kick his door closed with a satisfying slam. _Fucking nutjob!_ he fumed. If there was any justice in the world, Claude Faustus would be locked up in a padded cell somewhere. _"I already told you his secret" – Ha! That psycho has probably never said a true word in his entire life._

Sebastian ground his teeth, still standing awkwardly in the middle of his office as he fought with himself.

"Fuck it," he said finally, heading to his car. It was the middle of the day, but he wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything if he stayed. He shot off an email canceling his last class and drove to Ciel's apartment on autopilot. He knew it was the wrong thing to do but he had to see him, had to know that he was alright.

Sebastian's eyes scanned the lot as he pulled in, catching no trace of Ciel's little compact car. Dread washed over him in a cold wave. He hadn't considered the possibility that Ciel wouldn't be here, or might have – _no, don't think it!_ – moved away. He parked and walked into the building. He'd already come this far, so why not go all the way? Long legs ate the distance to Ciel's door. He paused outside, listening, but no noises came from within. He knocked softly and waited. After a few minutes, he knocked louder. "Ciel?" he called quietly.

A grizzled blond head poked out of the next door down, matching stubble on the neighbor man's tan face. He chewed on a cigarette as he watched Sebastian go through another round of knocking. "Oi!"

Sebastian jumped, turning around. "Hello. Did I disturb you?" He thought he had been knocking politely. The last thing he wanted to do was show up huffing and puffing at Ciel's door.

"Nah, I just thought I should tell you he already left."

"Already … left?" Sebastian asked, confused. He looked back at the door as if willing Ciel to be inside.

"Yeah, Ciel's gone, mate. Sorry," the man repeated carefully, probably thinking Sebastian was slow. With that, he ducked back into his own apartment.

The last little piece of hope in Sebastian fluttered away. Ciel really was gone and there was nothing he could do about it. He stared at the door far longer than he should have before shuffling back to his car, resigned to his fate. He had nowhere to go but home.

Sebastian wandered aimlessly around his apartment trying not to think. He ended up sitting on the edge of his bed and opened the drawer of his night stand to pull out a stack of junk from his time with Ciel. He didn't have any photos, but he did have a few receipts, tickets, and a notebook he hadn't given back yet.

He flipped through the notebook first, running his fingers over the ink. It was just notes on statistics, but the neat, familiar writing was comforting. He smiled and set it aside, picking up the glossy museum flier to look at the exhibits. He wondered if he would catch Ciel there at one of them if he went? Nah, that would be too much to hope. He traced a finger along the admission sticker he'd slapped on the back, pausing when his eye caught on a name. The sticker partially covered it, but …

Sebastian carefully peeled the sticker up, thankful that the old glue let go easily. Underneath it was a list of donors, ending with "And a special thanks to the Phantomhive family whose generous donation has allowed us to remodel the Modern Art wing." Excitement zinged through him. That had to be Ciel's family. The name was too uncommon for anything else – especially with the way that creepy old man seemed to know him.

Red eyes widened. Undertaker! He wasn't out of options after all.

With renewed energy, Sebastian shot up and ran back down to his car. _Please be open,_ he chanted as he drove. He pulled up at four and hoped madly that this wasn't one of the days it closed early. His pace quickened as he saw the lights on and people roaming around inside.

At the ticket counter was an unfamiliar redhead. Sebastian looked around, but Undertaker was nowhere to be seen.

"You-hoo!" The redhead trilled. "I can help you over here, handsome!"

Sebastian sighed discretely before plastering on a polite smile and approaching. "Hello –"

"Hello yourself!" she (he?) interrupted. Sebastian was quite confused now that he was up close.

"Um, I was looking for a man called Undertaker," Sebastian said uncertainly, nervous about not having a real name to give.

"Undertaker?" the redhead asked, head cocked inquisitively, making Sebastian worry that only Ciel knew him by that name.

"Yes, long silver hair, black nails –"

"Oh, I know who he _is_ , darling; I just don't understand why you want to see him when you have a lady like _moi_ to help you." The redhead spread a hand across her red-shirted chest and batted her fake eyelashes.

Relief flooded Sebastian. "It's personal. Please, where can I find him?"

"Oh, not here," the she drawled, uninterested. "He's at some children's charity event in New York for the weekend. Bor-ring."

That was unexpected. "Charity event?"

"M'hm," she hummed, examining her glossy nails as she rapidly lost interest in this hot but single-minded man. "Halloween party. Funtom Toy Company. He goes every year."

Sebastian reached out to put a hand on her arm. "Please, it's really important. Who owns Funtom?"

Her brows pushed together as she snapped, "How the hell should I know?" Sebastian pulled his hand back and was about to apologize when she flipped out a phone and explained with bipolar cheer, "That's what Google is for!" Red nails clicked as she typed on the little screen and Sebastian watched in confused silence. "An old man named Tanaka," she announced.

Sebastian's heart sank. It had been stupid of him to hope it was Ciel.

"See?" she asked, turning the phone around to reveal a picture of a gray-haired man with a monocle. "Does this help?"

Sebastian glanced at it politely, about to thank her for her help when he had a flash of recognition. Taking the phone from her hand, he stared at the face of the man he saw with Ciel. He flipped through the Wikipedia article hungrily, practically crying out when he read that Tanaka took over two years ago after the previous owner, Vincent Phantomhive, died. It didn't mention a son and he didn't know Ciel's father's name, but the coincidence was more than enough.

"Thank you!" he cried, impulsively kissing her on the forehead in a sudden burst of joy. "That was very helpful. I know this is asking a lot, but could I trouble you for the details of this charity event?" he pleaded. "I would be eternally grateful."

She blushed profusely, tittering. "Well, how could a lady refuse that?" She clicked at the desktop computer, pulling up Undertaker's schedule. An impatient visitor huffed behind Sebastian, prompting her to crane around him to screech, "Can't you see we're _busy_ here!? I'll be with you in a damn second!" She popped back into her chair and printed off a copy of Undertaker's invitation and the Funtom event schedule. "Here you go, darling."

Sebastian took it with profuse thanks and made immediately for the exit. He secured himself in his car before laying out and examining the pages. The invitation was for a creative black tie Masquerade tonight, Halloween night, at 8 o'clock. The other page outlined some volunteer activities and guest speakers for the course of the weekend. His eyes caught on "C. Phantomhive, Friday, Special Announcement."

His eyes snapped to his dash clock and he cursed. 4:25. There's no way he could get to New York City in time. Wait - how long did it take to get to New York, anyway? He punched it up on his phone and almost cried when the little map estimated under two hours. This was the first thing to go right all damn day.

He could do this. He _would_ do this.

He was going to get Ciel back.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: The end of this chapter gets a touch graphic because Claude is a creepy bag of dicks.

Sebastian stood nervously in the corner of a grand ballroom. Unlike the cheap college Halloween party of last week, this room was brightly lit and decorated in shades of cream and gold. Crystal chandeliers glittered overhead and a live string – erm, ensemble? group? what did one call a bunch of stringed instruments, anyway? – played unobtrusively in once corner. Every now and then they'd slip in a few notes of Halloween music to keep with the holiday spirit.

Ladies in vibrant gowns swished by, giggling, and men in custom tuxedos stood in groups chatting familiarly. Sebastian was honestly surprised they let him in the door in his plain off-the-rack black suit and cheap black mask, but the door man hadn't looked twice at his computer-printed invitation. Sebastian had considered renting the maroon suit again and wearing his devil mask, but didn't want to draw Ciel's attention before he was ready. He had a feeling the boy would spot him from miles off and have him dragged out by security before he even knew what was happening. That thought made him wish there were some shadows for him to sink into.

A hand landed on Sebastian's shoulder, making him jump. "Kekeke, not nervous, are we?" a vaguely familiar voice cackled in his ear.

"Undertaker!" Sebastian cried as he turned around, immediately slapping a hand over his mouth. He glanced around the make sure his shout hadn't attracted too much attention.

The silver-haired man cackled harder at his distress. "Aren't you an entertaining one?" He had his long tresses pulled back in an elaborate ponytail decorated with beads and braids, though his long, thick bangs still covered his eyes. A black-on-black-on-black tuxedo showed off his lean frame as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, allowing Sebastian to turn his back to the room as they spoke. "What brings you to New York?"

"I –" Sebastian started, not sure what to say. "I need to talk to Ciel. Do you know if he's here, yet?"

"He doesn't know you're here, does he, hum? This is too good." Undertaker slid his arms down to wrap around his middle and threw back his head, laughing merrily and revealing the pearly scars on his neck.

Sebastian shushed him, waving his hands slightly. "Keep it down. No, he doesn't. We had an argument and he's been avoiding me. I just want to work things out."

Undertaker grinned, baring a mouth full of disturbingly white teeth. "You've given me more than enough laughter to pay for my help. He's over in that corner," Undertaker said, pointing with a black-tipped claw, "but don't try to chat him up until after his announcement. I'm sure he's nervous enough as is."

Sebastian followed Undertaker's finger with his eyes, catching sight of Ciel far across the room. He was wearing a plain blue mask and a black tux just like all the men around him, but noticeably shorter and with ashy blue-gray hair Sebastian would recognize anywhere. Looking back at Undertaker, he asked, "What is he announcing?"

"Hehehe, you'll just have to wait and see. I'm afraid not even I know what goes on in that one's mind." With that, he pushed off the wall and clapped Sebastian on the shoulder in passing. "Good luck."

"Tha–" Sebastian started, turning to face the other man, only to find he'd vanished. "Thanks," he said to no one.

Emboldened by the fact no one had challenged his presence yet, he purloined a glass of fancy champagne and pilfered the expensive hors d'oeuvres. He might as well enjoy himself while he could. There was no guarantee Ciel would even speak to him, much less forgive him.

Sebastian fought the urge to talk to Ciel as Undertaker advised, even though it grew harder and harder to ignore as the minutes dragged by. At one point, he almost walked smack into the boy as he passed, turning aside at the last moment. Ciel paid him no mind, deep in conversation with old Tanaka. Sebastian desperately tried to eavesdrop, wanting he hear Ciel's voice again, even if it wasn't directed at him, but was shocked to hear them speaking fluently in Japanese. He could tell one of the voices was Ciel's but it was so different from what he was used to hearing that it felt strangely unsatisfying. Before he could think too much on it they were gone, exiting out into some hallway and leaving Sebastian behind.

He sulked in the middle of the room, watching the other party guests with irritation, irrationally angry that they were happy while he was miserable. Everyone else was smiling, laughing, and drinking. Everyone but him.

Sebastian glowered at one man in particular. His back was turned, but the cut of his hair and slope of his shoulders was naggingly familiar and it irked Sebastian that he couldn't place it. Just as the man started to turn, Sebastian's attention was pulled to the stage by the loud popping of a microphone being thumped. "It's ready, sir," a stagehand murmured to a mask-free Tanaka, stepping down.

Tanaka nodded politely, stepping up to the podium. "Thank you, Finnian. And thank you all for coming out tonight," he said to the room. A polite smattering of applause greeted him. "This last year was only so successful because of all your generous donations, contributions and support. Our charities …" he went on, describing the various philanthropic endeavors of Funtom, all of which Sebastian was sure were very important, but his attention was focused solely on the little male behind Tanaka. Ciel had removed his blue domino mask and replaced it with his normal black eyepatch, hair slicked back as it had been when Sebastian had last seen him in a suit. The royal blue of his tuxedo vest accented his lone eye. The boy stood dead still on his feet, staring at the back of Tanaka's head as he spoke. After a few more minutes, the older man gestured to Ciel, introducing him with, "And now to talk about the future of Funtom, Ciel Phantomhive, son of my predecessor." Another round of polite clapping filled the room as the two men exchanged places on the stage.

"Good evening." Ciel's voice rolled over Sebastian like a freight train. It was deeper and softer than he remembered, weighted with a gravity that didn't match his age or stature. "As many of you know, this company has been handed down through many generations of Phantomhives from its foundation in the eighteen hundreds to today. My father, Vincent, unfortunately passed far earlier than anyone could have expected, at a time long before I was ready to even consider filling his shoes. But thanks to the tireless work of Tanaka and our dedicated head office, Funtom thrived and flourished in my absence." Applause was directed at Tanaka, who smiled and held up a hand in acknowledgement.

"I am eternally in his debt," Ciel said, turning to give Tanaka a small bow. "However, I am now of age and as such, I wish to announce my intent to take over the company as my father did before me. Starting next month I will be training under Tanaka in the main office in Japan to learn from his considerable experience until he feels confident I can do this company justice." Cheers and loud clapping filled the room. Ciel smiled. "I thank you all for your support and look forward to serving you in the future."

Sebastian stared, stunned, as Ciel stepped off the stage and guests filed past to shake his hand and congratulate him.

 _Japan? CEO? Ciel hates business._ Sebastian's mind hopped from thought to thought, not even trying to connect them.

At last, Sebastian spotted an opening. Ciel had just excused himself and ducked out a side door into the hall, clearly looking for a minute alone. Not willing to give it to him, Sebastian followed smoothly, taking long strides to catch up. He followed the neon **EXIT** signs, assuming that was the route Ciel would have taken and was rewarded when he rounded the last corner to find the slate-haired boy slumped against a wall, tie pulled loose and hair mussed. He was digging in his pocket, likely looking for a cigarette.

"That was a great speech," Sebastian offered from a safe few yards away.

Ciel gasped, head snapping over to see who spoke from his blind side. After a tense second, he said neutrally, "Thanks."

Feeling stupid, Sebastian pulled off his mask. "Um, it's me, by the way. In case you couldn't tell."

Ciel snorted and looked away. "Of course I know it's you, moron. It's a mask, not magic." He stared hard at the wall in front of him in silence, body clearly telegraphing his desire to be alone.

Sebastian refused to take the hint. "I just want to talk," he said carefully, not coming any closer.

"I don't."

The rejection stung. "Please. I'm really sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

Ciel's head whipped back around and he stood up. "Never meant to hurt me?" Furious, he marched forward and shoved Sebastian in the chest, hard, making the older man stumble back a step. "I dropped out of college because of you. I fucking _fled_ the entire _state of Pennsylvania_ because of you." With a dark laugh, he added, "Hell, next week I'll be in another country doing the one thing on this planet I never wanted to do because of you. I don't think you could have hurt me more if you tried."

Sebastian winced. "Ciel, I'm so sorry. I'll do anything to make it up to you, I swear."

"Make it _up_ to me? You _ruined_ my _life_!" Ciel snarled, glaring up with unbridled fury, fists clenched at his sides. "There is no way on this planet you could possibly make up for that." He clenched his teeth and pointedly turned his back. "Just go. Leave. I never want to see you again."

Sebastian placed a hand on Ciel's shoulder, but it was shrugged off violently. The boy still refused to look at him. With a sigh, Sebastian allowed, "If that's really what you want, I'll respect your wishes. Just know that I truly do love you and would do anything for you."

Ciel stayed silent and still as a rock, waiting for Sebastian to leave. His shoulders relaxed as he heard footsteps wandering off. When they grew faint enough, he chanced a look back, relieved to find himself alone. He was finally free of Sebastian Michaelis. It was an oddly numb feeling. He had expected to be happy or whatever people are supposed to feel when they get 'closure,' but instead he was just … empty.

He definitely needed that cigarette now.

Ciel dug out the last cigarette from his pack before pushing open the heavy steel exit door to get outside. The chill of a windy night immediately blew through his suit, making him remember that his overcoat was inside. Shrugging, he lit the cigarette and leaned against the brick wall of the building. He wouldn't be out here for long.

As much as he tried not to think about it, his mind kept going back to Sebastian. Not current Sebastian, but last month's. When they were just hanging out, arguing over food and laughing at stupid movies. He longed for the simple comfort of waking up in Sebastian's apartment on Saturday mornings, having someone to talk to. Things had been perfect.

 _But it wasn't real, was it?_ a nagging voice reminded him. That Sebastian didn't even exist. It was all some sick game. While Ciel had been sleeping in his bed, Sebastian was out slashing his tires and sabotaging his school work. Ciel's lip curled in distaste and he threw down his half-spent cigarette, grinding it out under his shoe. He should be glad he got out before he got too hurt.

Arms folded for warmth, he walked around to the front of the hotel to get back inside. Ciel cursed aloud as a familiar tall, dark-haired form was waiting for him at the entrance. He glared at the plain black suit and mask with increasing loathing, briefly debating on walking away and catching a cab back to his temporary company apartment. His eyes narrowed at the thought. Ciel had already left the college, job, and city he loved because of this man. He sure as shit wasn't going to flee his own party. Just as he was gearing up to unleash an epic tongue lashing, an unexpected voice called, "I was hoping to catch you before you left."

Ciel's mouth dropped briefly in surprise, taking a step forward and squinting at the back-lit figure. " _Claude_?" he asked incredulously.

Smirking, Claude stepped up to a comfortable speaking distance. "Of course. I wanted to congratulate you on living up to your full potential. I'm certain you will make an excellent CEO very soon.

Ciel eyed him warily. "Thanks," he offered unenthusiastically. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get back inside." He tried to step around Claude only to have his way blocked when Claude stepped back.

"I also wanted to apologize for that business at the beginning of the year. I was attracted to you and went about things the wrong way. I should have taken you out on a proper date rather than bartering for a meaningless one night stand."

Ciel rolled his eyes. "What is this, Asshole Discount Day? I don't even have the energy to hate you right now; just move." He took another step forward and Claude took another step back like they were dancing. Irritated, Ciel stopped and snapped, "What do you _want_ from me?"

"I want to buy you dinner."

"No."

"How about steak?"

"No."

"We could always just go up to my room."

"Definitely not." Ciel began walking again, Claude deftly countering his movements through the foyer without stopping him. It was annoying, but Claude wasn't actually impeding him, so he ignored it.

"You're not still hung up on Michaelis, are you?"

Ciel stopped walking and glared up into golden eyes, unobstructed by glasses for once behind his mask. "Don't you dare mention his name to me. I haven't forgotten your involvement in that mess. I may not know exactly what you did, but don't bother trying to deny it."

Claude held up his hands. "I wouldn't dream of it. I was only asking because he's skulking around right over there." Claude pointed one long finger at the doorway to the ballroom Ciel was about to enter.

Ciel's eye followed his gesture and cursed. He had hoped Sebastian would have already left. "Words cannot express how much I hate you all right now," he muttered, exasperated. His fingers twitched reflexively toward his pocket before he remembered he had just crushed his last cigarette after barely touching it. Could this night get any worse? Apparently so. Sebastian caught sight of Claude with Ciel and scowled, immediately marching toward them like a man on a mission.

"Not to press my advances where they're unwanted, but I _do_ happen to have a place you can hide from him for a bit," Claude offered innocently.

"Or I could just call security," Ciel countered petulantly, staring Claude down so he wouldn't have to see Sebastian.

"Mm, yes. An irate homosexual lover's screaming match at a charity gala broken up by security right after you announced your intention to become CEO. Wouldn't that make for a lovely scandal?" Claude teased. "It's your choice, of course." He turned on a heel, slowly walking to the bank of elevators and pressing the call button. He stared straight ahead and got on the first available cart, pleasantly surprised when Ciel stepped in after him, jammed the 'door close' button, and said "Shut up."

Claude lifted a brow playfully. "I didn't say any –"

"Shut up," Ciel repeated, staring straight ahead.

Claude chuckled, pressing the 10th floor button. He gestured Ciel out when the doors opened with a chime and led him to a modest room. It was hotel standard with a full size bed, small seating area, and attached bathroom. Ciel walked straight past the bed and immediately flopped into one of the chairs, crossing his legs and arms tightly and glaring out the window. Claude tugged off his mask and pulled the minibar open with a rattle, offering, "Drink?"

Ciel eyed him, distrust painting every feature. "No thanks."

"Suit yourself," Claude said with a shrug. He pulled out a tiny bottle of Rum; the crack of a seal breaking was the only noise in the room. Claude settled in the chair across from Ciel, studying him for a few silent minutes. "So, Japan, huh?" Ciel hesitated, then nodded. "You speak Japanese, then?"

"Obviously," Ciel muttered, dripping with scorn.

Claude ignored his tone. "That's a tough one to learn." Ciel continued to ignore him and Claude took a pull from his bottle. "You don't have to stay here, you know. You're welcome to call a taxi and sneak out the back."

Ciel finally looked at him, blue eye hard. "I'll be damned if I'm running from that asshole."

"So you say, hiding in someone else's hotel room."

Ciel scowled, uncrossing his legs and biting out irritably, "I am not hiding. I just needed to cool off."

"Which you're doing an admirable job of."

Ciel slumped down in his chair, throwing his head back to stare at the ceiling. "God, I hate you," he stated flatly. Claude chuckled. Ciel huffed an irritated breath. "I've changed my mind. Got any Tequila in that shit box?"

"I'll see what I can do." Claude dug out the lone bottle of off-brand tequila and passed it to Ciel, who took it without thanks, wincing as he drank.

"This is the most godawful thing I've ever tasted." Ciel pulled a face and downed the rest, eager to get it over with.

"Care for something else, then?"

"Fuck no. I'm not stupid. I don't trust you," Ciel said bluntly, unwilling to risk more than the faintest buzz in Claude's presence.

Claude grinned deviously, pointing out, "You trusted me enough to come back to my room and have a drink with me."

"And that's about _all_ I trust you."

Smile growing, he countered, "You've done much more than drink with me before."

Ciel's eyes widened and he blushed faintly. "Shut up."

"Was it really that bad?" Claude asked with a tinge of concern.

"N– wh– That's not the point," Ciel stammered, flustered.

"It's a simple question," Claude drawled. "Did you enjoy it or not?"

Going back downstairs to tell Sebastian to piss off again had to be better than dealing with this conversation, didn't it? Ciel grimaced. His chest ached at the thought of dealing with Sebastian again right now. He would have to go back down eventually, but wanted to give himself a few more moments to recover. So instead, he threw Claude a dirty look and asked: "Do you ever shut up?"

"I've been known to under the right circumstances," he purred suggestively. Ciel rolled his eye and looked out the window. A flurry of knocks on the door interrupted whatever Claude might have said next.

"Are you expecting someone?" Ciel asked suspiciously, uneasy at the thought of being trapped in a small space with Claude and a stranger. He frowned, realizing no one knew where he was, and discretely slid his phone out of his pocket, keeping it out of sight under the table and pulling up Tanaka's number so he could hit **CALL** quickly if the need arose.

Claude sighed at the boy's obvious distrust. Honestly, it was almost insulting. "No, I don't know who it could be. Please excuse me while I find out."

Ciel watched Claude walk down the small hall with the bathroom door and craned his neck to catch sight of who was outside. He couldn't see around Claude's back, but he didn't need to. Sebastian's voice rumbled clearly into the room. "Where is he?"

"What an unexpected surprise," Claude said pleasantly. "I see you figured it out after all. Gold star."

"Cut the crap, Faustus. Where is Ciel?"

Claude paused for a long second, the silence speaking volumes about his irritation. "How should I know? You're the one who's stalking him; you tell me."

Ciel relaxed slightly when Claude didn't give him up – then heard a meaty thump, possibly a punch or shove. "I swear to god if you've hurt that boy –"

Claude laughed. "If _I've_ hurt him? What could I possibly do that you haven't already?"

Before a fight could break out, Ciel strode up and gently pushed Claude aside to face Sebastian himself.

"Ciel! Thank god," Sebastian breathed, relief evident on his face. "Are you okay?"

Ciel glared, ignoring the way his stomach did a little flip-flop at the way Sebastian's face softened when he looked at him. "I told you to go away."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure he didn't hurt you."

Ciel pushed down the sudden flood of warm-tinglies Sebastian's concern for him caused, falling back on his trusty stubbornness to keep from saying something stupid. "What I do and who I do it with is no longer any of your concern. Now dick off." He bit out harshly. Ciel slammed the door unceremoniously in Sebastian's shocked face. He held his breath, waiting, but there was no shouting or knocking. He honestly didn't know how he felt about that. With a little huff, he marched to the mini bar and grabbed the first thing that looked alcoholic, deciding not to feel at all. Ciel paused and grabbed a second – what were these? Oh, beer – and handed it to Claude.

"Thank you," the older man said with mild surprise.

Ciel grunted an acknowledgement, looking at his bottle. He cracked the twist top off and took a swig. "Thanks for trying to hide me. I hope he didn't hurt you."

Claude chuckled, opening his own. "I've had worse."

Ciel nodded, looking at the floor. Claude kept a respectful distance, letting the boy think in silence. After a few quiet minutes, he offered, "I think he's gone, if you want to go back down."

Ciel looked up at him with a big blue eye, surprising them both when he asked, "And if I don't?"

Claude's lips curled as he took a step forward. "Then you don't have to." He put his beer on the sideboard and reached out to cup Ciel's face, sliding his thumbs over the delicate cheekbones and pulling him in for a blisteringly passionate kiss.

\---

In the lobby, Sebastian paced, worried. The sounds of the party echoed out of the ballroom nearby, merriment juxtaposing his guilt and dread. He now realized how much of a fool he had been for blindly following along with Claude's plan. He had thought the two of them were working together against Ciel as a team when all along Claude was using him as another chess piece in his own game, moving them both toward whatever his real goal had been all along. What irked Sebastian the most was that he still had absolutely no idea what it could be. Knowing Claude, though, it was nothing good. The sadistic son of a bitch clearly delighted in hurting others, and Ciel was now firmly in his grasp.

He chewed his lip, at a loss for what to do.

Ciel was obviously beyond pissed at him, so he didn't dare show his face to the boy again. His old ally, Claude, was now captain of the opposing team. And – that was it. Sebastian frowned. He hadn't really interacted with anyone else since moving here. Sure, he'd exchanged greetings in passing and worked briefly on small projects with people at the university, but he'd never seen any of the others outside of a professional capacity. Now his antisocial behavior was coming back to bite him on the ass.

He wracked his brain for options. For some ungodly reason Alois popped into his head. Even if he wanted to, he didn't have the boy's number, not that he could possibly be any help in this situation. Of the people at the party, Tanaka and Undertaker would be interested helping Ciel – and of the two, Undertaker seemed the least intimidating.

Snapping his mask back on, Sebastian reentered the party. The majority of men were wearing black, so he scanned heads, searching for a flash of white hair. His eyebrows drew together when he failed to locate his target. He was resigning himself to the fact that he would have to lay his sordid tale at Tanaka's feet, possibly outing Ciel as gay if it was a secret and earning himself a solid thrashing for his part in Claude's plan, when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Jerking to the side and turning swiftly, he came nose-to-nose with Undertaker.

"Looking for someone?" the creepy man whispered.

Sebastian bit back his desire to yell at the creepy old coot. Taking a step back to create a comfortable speaking distance, he said, "Yes. I need your help."

Undertaker cackled. "I'm afraid that's not something I give away to just anyone."

"Please, it's about Ciel."

"Haven't caught up to him yet? I'm afraid I can't help you there." He smiled.

"No, the opposite in fact. I don't have time to go into the whole story now, but he's upstairs in a room with a man I think wants to hurt him."

Undertaker's lips thinned, amusement dropping out of his voice. "Why the hell are you down here, then? Go up there and get him!"

"I tried! He doesn't believe me and doesn't want to see me. Please, there's got to be something you can do. Go talk to him, or at least check on him."

Undertaker was silent for a moment, considering. It was eerie not being able to read his expression with hair covering his face down to the tip of his nose. "I'll see what I can do. But! You're going to owe me that full story and it better be good." He punctuated his words by poking a bony finger into Sebastian's chest, exuding a menacing aura.

Sebastian fought back a shudder. "I'll do anything. Please. Room 1006, tenth floor."

Without responding, Undertaker turned and walked off in the direction opposite the elevators, making Sebastian's brow raise in concern. He was beginning to worry that he'd enlisted the aid of the wrong person (that man _was_ obviously certifiable, after all), when he strode back by and climbed into an elevator, merrily finger waving and grinning broadly at Sebastian as the doors closed. Yeah, that did nothing to inspire confidence.

Sebastian sighed and perched nervously on the edge of a chair in the lobby, awaiting Undertaker's return.

\---

Claude was immeasurably pleased with this turn of events. The pieces of his plan were falling together more perfectly than he could have ever imagined and his blood was singing with joy. And alcohol. And lust. He shuddered as Ciel bit his neck, quick fingers divesting him of his shirt and jacket. He gripped the teen's hips possessively, grinding into him. The beautiful little minx let out an erotic moan, making Claude's pride swell.

_Mine. All mine._

Claude looped his arms under Ciel's legs, lifting him so he could spin them and deposit the boy on the bed. Hovering over the prone form, Claude carefully disrobed him, reverently running his hands over pale flesh. "So lovely," he murmured. Ciel responded to his touch with satisfying little gasps, writhing as his fingers brushed over sensitive nipples and hip bones.

"Please …" Ciel whispered, eyes closed, hips bucking.

 _That's right. Beg for my touch._ "Anything for you, lovely," he cooed back, trailing his fingertips over Ciel's aching need. He rubbed up and down slowly, wringing every sound he could out of the desperate body below him. Ciel's flushed cheeks and panting were almost too much to bear. He flicked his tongue over the very tip, causing Ciel to cry out loudly. Claude groaned. "Please, darling. Please let me take you," he begged, running a fingertip over Ciel's little hole. Claude smiled as Ciel ground into his touch.

After a long second, Ciel realized he needed to respond and breathed out the faintest, "Okay." His eye was squeezed closed, concentrating hard on feeling and not thinking. He never wanted to think again. Ciel sighed as a wet finger slid in, losing himself in the sensation.

Claude groaned at the tight heat. _So perfect. It's mine and it's perfect_ , he purred happily to himself, fingering the hot slickness of Ciel's inner walls. He had never wanted anything this much. He wrapped his lips around Ciel's cock, rewarding him for his compliance.

"Yes!" Ciel cried. "More!"

Claude complied happily, adding another finger and bobbing his head faster. He was delighted by the little thing's cries.

"Oh, God." Ciel rolled his hips. "God yes," he chanted. "Right there."

Claude pushed a third finger in, eager to have the boy wrapped around him. He wanted to bury himself deep inside and claim him in the most primal way. He wanted Ciel to shout his name so loudly the whole world knew who he belonged to. Claude groaned, closing his eyes at the thought. "Say my name," he whispered.

"Sss – so close," Ciel hissed. "Don't stop!"

Claude lapped at him, briefly pulling off to command, "Say it. Say my name when you come." He shivered in anticipation, looking forward to thrusting into that sweet body while it chanted his name.

"Se – I, yes!" Ciel stuttered. He cracked his eye to watch onyx hair resume bobbing between his legs, twitching at the sight. Pale skin stretched over broad shoulders, muscled arms flexing. "Sss – Nng!" Long fingers worked his hole, brushing over and over his pleasure spot, driving him mad. With one final push, Ciel felt himself falling. "Sebastian!"

Claude froze.

_Did he just – did that little shit – ?_

Claude ripped his fingers out of Ciel and spat a mouthful of come on his chest, glaring icily. "What did you just say?" he demanded dangerously.

Ciel's eye rounded in horror, buzz dying away. "I …" He sat up, resting against the headboard. He raised both hands to cover his mouth as if he could pull the name back in.

"Did you just fucking call me ' _Sebastian_?'" he shouted, fists clenching as he righted himself.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it." Ciel was mortified.

"You were thinking of him that whole time!?" Claude fumed. _That stupid, ungrateful little runt. How dare he disrespect me like this?_ He eyed Ciel in disgust, watching him cower against the headboard as semen dripped down his chest. _Pathetic._

"No, I swear! I wasn't thinking at all," Ciel explained desperately, but the damage was done. Claude's expression was cold and hard. Ciel looked away. "I, I think I should just go," he muttered, moving to climb off the bed.

Claude grabbed his ankle, dragging him back. "No. You started this and you're going to finish it."

Ciel's eye widened. "What! No, stop!" He struggled, kicking at Claude and trying to scramble back.

Claude caught him easily, flipping him around and pushing his chest into the mattress, knees planted on the backs of Ciel's thighs. "You were supposed to be _mine_ ," he seethed, ripping at his belt. "You were supposed to want _me_!"

Ciel flailed his arms, struggling to find purchase. The sight infuriated Claude further. Even now, the ungrateful little shit was rejecting him, driving salt into an open wound. He lashed out, whipping the belt across Ciel's back. Ciel's cry was a thing of beauty. Claude smiled as he watched a thick, red welt appear on flawless white skin. He ran his left hand over it, listening to Ciel whimper at the sting.

"Stop! Please, no …" Ciel begged.

"Shut up!" Claude snapped, bringing the belt down for another lash, a sadistic tingle of joy running strait to his groin at Ciel's scream. Apparently losing Sebastian hadn't done the trick. Claude would just have to break Ciel himself before he could put him back together.

Tears ran down Ciel's face, a mixture of shame and pain.

Claude wrapped his hand in Ciel's hair, wrenching his head back painfully and leaning forward to bite his ear, hard. "You are going to take this and you are going to look at me and call my name."

Ciel tensed, terrified. _Please save me. Someone save me, please._ He was too scared to struggle when Claude rolled him over and ripped his legs open, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. Fresh tears welled in his eyes and he squeezed them closed, tears cutting hot tracks down his cheeks. _Sebastian, why didn't I listen to you?_ he lamented hopelessly.

Claude tore at his pants, ripping the buttons open and shoving them down just far enough to free himself. The sight was enough to breathe life back into Ciel. "NO!" he shouted, squirming back. Claude backhanded him and yanked his thighs, pulling him closer to line himself up for entry.

_Knock-knock-knock._

Both men froze, eyes swiveling to the door. "Ciel?" a distant voice called.

"Sebastian, help!" Ciel shouted, flailing with renewed vigor and earning himself another backhand.

 _Even now this stupid brat only has eyes for him,_ Claude thought bitterly. He snatched the belt back up and whipped it across Ciel's face to produce a gloriously agonizing scream. Ciel finally gave up on all that annoying wiggling around and put both hands over his face; Claude took the opportunity to push in, groaning at the tightness. He flexed his fingers against Ciel's hips, enjoying the fleshy softness. _Yes, he will be absolutely perfect once I'm through._ Claude thrusted slowly, savoring the sensation, completely lost in thought –

– and completely oblivious to the wooden baton crashing down on the back of his head.


	13. Chapter 13

Ciel's nose crinkled at a strange smell. Almost against his will, he breathed deeper, trying to place it. It was dry and plastic-y and biting, vaguely familiar. The only word that came to mind was "sterile." He had been sleeping so deeply when that damn smell had woken him up. Brows drawn together, he frowned and tried to roll over, intending to go back to sleep.

Pain jarred him awake. His eyes snapped open to reveal a dim, hazy room.

"Ciel?" a concerned voice called.

Ciel sat up, instantly regretting it when everything ached at once. He lifted his hands up defensively in front of him. "Who's there!" he demanded in a broken whisper, voice strained from screaming. He blinked furiously, trying to clear his vision.

"It's Tanaka," the old voice said comfortingly. "I'm here, Ciel." A bony hand rested on his left forearm, pushing it back down to the bed. "You're safe now."

"Tanaka," Ciel whispered, turning his head toward the voice. He could barely make out the dim figure looming over him. He put his right hand over the one on his forearm, recognizing the crinkly skin. He relaxed. "Tanaka, why's it so dark in here?" He reached up to rub his left eye, pausing when he felt cloth over it. Ciel breathed a sigh of relief. Someone had put his eyepatch on the wrong eye; everything was blurry because he was only using his bad eye right now. Another hand from the other side of the bed pulled his fingers away when he tried to peel the patch up. "Who's there?" he demanded, snatching his hand back.

"Ciel, you need to listen to me," Tanaka said calmly. "You were attacked. Do you remember?"

Ciel tilted his head. _Attacked? What does he – oh._ Memories flooded back to him. Ciel's whole body trembled. "Claude," he breathed out, almost silently. Tears ran down his face. He wrapped his arms around himself, flinching as his left fingers brushed over the plastic tube of an IV in his right arm. "I'm in the hospital? What happened? Why can't I _see!?_ "

There was the scrape of a chair being pulled closer. "I don't know what happened in that room, Ciel. You'll have to tell us. All we know is what Hadrian saw when he rescued you."

"Hadrian?"

"Ah, 'Undertaker' is what you know him by, I believe."

 _So he does have a name,_ Ciel thought irrelevantly. "How did he get in?"

"He … 'borrowed' a key card from reception." Ciel could hear the smile in Tanaka's voice. "Your friend Sebastian was worried about you and begged him to make sure you were alright. You're very lucky to have someone like him."

Ciel perked up at the name, all other questions fleeing his mind for the moment. "Sebastian! Where is he?"

"Right here," a deep, familiar voice spoke from right beside him. The hand that had caught his fingers earlier rested on his shoulder. Ciel immediately gripped it with both of his, pressing it to his cheek.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Ciel, son, we need you to tell us what happened," Tanaka said, drawing his attention back to the other side of the bed.

Ciel stilled. "I can't."

"Ciel, please. We can guess some of what happened, but you'll need to give a statement to the police."

Ciel rolled away from Tanaka, burying his face in Sebastian's hand. "Am I blind?"

He heard rustling as Sebastian squatted down, putting his face near Ciel's and placing his other hand on Ciel's shoulder. "We don't know. He struck you across the face and hit your eye. The doctor says it is injured, but they won't know the full extent until it heals."

Ciel clenched his jaw. Blindness was a fate too horrible to consider right now, so he refused to think about it at all. Straightening up, he pushed away all extraneous emotion and slipped back into his usual comfortable, aloof shell. Looking straight ahead, he asked coolly, "Is there an officer in here or do you need to go get one?"

Tanaka placed a hand on his leg. "Ciel, you don't have to do that right now. You can tell us first –"

"No. I'm not saying this more than once. Go get someone if you need to."

Ciel heard Tanaka rise without arguing, a few footsteps toward the door, a muffled exchange, and two sets of footsteps return.

"Hey, kid. My name's Ronnie," a new voice said gently. "I'm guarding your room today."

Ciel's cheek twitched at his babying tone. "Can you take my statement?"

"Sure, if you're ready." Rustling, crinkling, a snap. _Maybe a note pad being pulled out_ , Ciel guessed. "Do you want your friends to stay or should I clear the room?"

Ciel's initial response was to snap at him to just get on with it, but he paused, curious. "Who all's in here?"

"Just Sebastian, Ronnie, and I right now," Tanaka said. "Hadrian and Alois are down in the cafeteria getting breakfast."

Ciel debated sending Tanaka away, but dismissed the thought. He already knew everything Ciel didn't want him to. Besides, it would be nice to have the moral support. Reaching out, he felt around for Sebastian's hand until the other man gave it to him. "They can stay, but I don't want to tell the others."

"Okay, kid. Let's start with some easy ones. What's your name?"

"Ciel Phantomhive. Which I hope you already know since you're supposed to be guarding my room."

Ronnie laughed. "Fair enough, but I have to ask. How old are you?"

"Eighteen." _Scribble._

"And what were you doing at the hotel last night?"

"Giving a speech at the Funtom Charity Gala." _Scratch-scratch._

"That's cool, little guy. What were you talking about," Ronnie asked, trying to relax the tense boy.

Ciel narrowed his uncovered eye in Ronnie's direction at the condescending tone. "About how I'm going to be the bloody CEO."

Ronnie choked, looking at Tanaka who nodded and Sebastian who smirked. He let out a low whistle. "Nice. Sorry, I didn't know."

Ciel sighed and shifted on the bed. His eye hurt and his head hurt and his back hurt and his ass hurt and honestly, it would be quicker to list the few bits of him that _didn't_ hurt. "Can we dispense with the stupid questions and just get on with this already?" he snapped.

Ronnie, used to dealing with victims, didn't take it personally. He simply nodded – then mentally kicked himself when he remembered this one was blind and said, "Yeah. Why don't you just tell me what happened?"

Ciel sighed, wracking his brain for where to start. "I went outside to smoke. When I came back in, Claude was in the lobby."

"You knew him previously?" Ronnie asked.

"Yes, he was a professor at my college. We don't really get along." Ciel continued on, telling the whole embarrassing story in as much detail as he could stand, voice monotone. "And then Claude flipped out. I tried to leave, but he overpowered me. He beat me with his belt until I stopped fighting. He was going to rape me when someone knocked on the door." He slowed, memory getting fuzzy. "I think I shouted for help. I remember him hitting me." He frowned. "I'm not sure. I must have blacked out." Ciel looked over at Ronnie for help filling in the blank, jolted back to reality when he saw only a hazy outline of a person. _Oh, right. Blind,_ he thought sourly. "What happened after that?"

 _Pages flipping_. Ronnie choked, trying his very best to not to laugh as he read his notes. "Hadrian Crevain claims he heard you shout for help and entered through the door, which he found ajar. He then watched as Mister Faustus, quote, 'took a most unfortunate tumble and beat his own little kitty brains out on a table leg eight times.'" Ciel snorted. That sounded like something Undertaker would say. Ronnie cleared his throat. "Obviously, we will have to examine that statement a little closer later, but he then called an ambulance and got you patched up here at New York-Presbyterian."

Ciel smiled despite the grim situation. Undertaker was nothing if not entertaining. "I assume you arrested Claude?"

"Yes. He is in custody."

Ciel nodded. "Good." He looked forward to seeing that bastard rot in jail. "If that's all, I'd like to get some rest, Officer."

"Yeah, that's all, kid." The notebook closed with a snap. "I'll be right outside if you need anything."

"And I'm going to give you two a minute alone," Tanaka said, following the NYPD officer out and closing the door behind them.

The room was quiet. Ciel tensed nervously, eye rolling around instinctively around without seeing. Sebastian squeezed his hand. "Ciel? Are you okay, baby?"

Ciel shook his head. "Why are you here?" he asked.

Sebastian stilled. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No," Ciel said quickly. "I just don't understand why you're here."

Sebastian stroked the boy's face. "Because I love you," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Ciel sighed and leaned into the touch. "I'm sorry for what I said."

"Shh, it's okay. You had every right to hate me."

Ciel grunted, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and let Sebastian stroke his face and hair. "I'm glad you didn't give up on me," he murmured.

"Never. I'll never give up on you."

"Don't say that. I'm probably blind now."

"So? It doesn't change how I feel. I'm not leaving you."

"Careful, I can be a real pain in the ass," Ciel warned.

Sebastian chuckled. "And don't I know it."

"Hey! You can't say that; I'm blind! You're supposed to be nice to blind people."

Sebastian kissed his knuckles. "I'll be on my best behavior, then."

"Tch," Ciel scoffed, turning away to hide his pink cheeks.

\---

Ciel had been released from the hospital fairly quickly as he had no severe injuries apart from (possibly) his eye. The hospital doctors had set up appointments for him with a specialist in Philadelphia and released him into Sebastian's care.

Ciel was strangely comforted to be back in Sebastian's apartment, even if he couldn't see it. The couch felt familiar and he recognized the smell. The space was small enough that he didn't get lost, not that Sebastian would have left him alone long enough for that to happen. The teacher had requested emergency leave to take care of Ciel and was slowly but surely driving him insane.

"Go get coffee," Ciel snapped.

"Of course. I'll have a pot ready for you soon –"

"No. Go get it. I want Rise and Grind."

Sebastian paused. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Ciel sighed. "I'm blind, not retarded. I can survive thirty minutes without you." He heard Sebastian suck in a breath to argue and added, "There's a chance this is permanent, so I need to get used to it. You'll only make things harder by babying me."

"If that's what you want. Do you want your usual 'Sugar Rush'?"

Ciel smiled, pleased to get his way. "Yes, and don't forget to bring me a big chocolate donut with sprinkles."

Sebastian kissed his forehead. "I'll get two."

"That's what I like to hear." Ciel settled back into the couch smugly, listening to the sound of Sebastian gathering his things.

"I'll be right back.

Ciel snorted. "Not with the way you drive, grandma."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't he-e-e-e-ar that," Sebastian called as he closed the apartment door. Ciel chuckled. _Not like he could do anything about it if he had._ He felt around for the remote and flipped on the news, listening to boring stories about politics and kitten videos. He could vaguely make out the flickering of the screen, but not enough to tell what was on it. Ciel sighed, resigning himself to his fate. This could be as good as it ever got, so he better get used to it now.

In a way, he was impressed with his own progress. He no longer flinched when people touched him and he was getting really good at identifying sounds. He could work the microwave by feel and tell how full a glass was by the sound pouring liquid made in it. There were still plenty of things he hadn't worked out yet, like the slick screen of his smart phone and chasing food around on his plate without seeing it, but he was sure he would figure out a way to cope. He _had_ to.

He wondered when his next doctor's appointment was and tried to make a mental note to ask Sebastian when he returned. Honestly, reading was the thing he missed the most.

Footsteps and loud voices in the hall caught his attention. He tilted his head, trying to make out what they were saying. The door to the apartment flew open and an elephant ran at Ciel, or so it sounded. "My friend, Ciel!" an Indian voice shouted as a solid body tackled him into the couch cushion.

" _Soma?_ " Ciel asked, struggling to breathe.

Soma eased off enough to turn around and declare: "He recognizes my voice! Agni, he knows me!" Very slowly and loudly, he said "Ciel. How. Are. You?"

"Smothering to death. Get off." He pushed feebly at the heavy young man on top of him.

"Ciel," a calmer Indian voice called from across the room. "We are so glad you're okay."

 _Yeah. I'm "okay." I'm only blind with horrific night terrors_ , he thought bitterly. Curbing his desire to snap, he asked neutrally, "Agni, is that you?"

"Yes, Ciel. Mister Sebastian came to pick up your coffee and we asked where you have been. We had to come see you for ourselves." A wrapped hand settled on his shoulder. "You are so strong." Ciel blinked back tears at his words. _Why the fuck am I crying?_

"Ciel. What. Happened?" Soma shouted in his ear.

"Gah!" Ciel pushed him away. "I'm blind, not deaf. Speak normally, you moron." He was promptly tackled again by Soma.

"You insult me because we're friends!"

Ciel heard chuckling from across the room and whipped his head around to glare at where he suspected Sebastian was hiding. _You are so going to pay for this,_ he promised silently.

"Oh, let's not forget your coffee!" Agni interjected, pressing a paper cup into Ciel's hand. Soma continued to shout into his ear, Sebastian stayed safely out of arm's reach, and Agni played referee to the best of his ability. Despite himself, Ciel actually enjoyed their visit.

The energetic duo cleared out around lunch time "to let Ciel rest," as Agni put it. _To give Ciel a rest from Soma is more like it_ , Ciel thought, exhausted.

"That was fun," Sebastian said mildly from across the living room.

"I hate you," Ciel stated emotionlessly, not bothering to look at him.

"I love you," Sebastian responded as always, even though Ciel had yet to say it back.

 The pitter-patter of little feet announced Alois's arrival moments before the front door flung open. "Ciel!"

"Oh, what fresh hell is this," Ciel lamented. "Don't you ever lock that thing, Sebastian?"

"Don't be that way, Cee-Cee!" Alois trilled, flopping down next to him. "I missed you."

"You saw me yesterday."

"I know, but that was yesterday. Oooh, coffee." Ciel heard the sound of Alois fondling his empty cup. "I love this place! They make the best mochas and the owner is so hot."

"I'll be sure to tell him you said so," Sebastian teased from across the room. He was met with stony silence as Alois just eyed him. The blond still hadn't forgiven him for working with Claude and Sebastian foresaw a long, dark future of ass-kissing before that changed.

"Yeah, you just missed him," Ciel added to break the tension. "Agni came to visit."

"Really? How do you know –"

_Knock-knock-knock._

"Bloody hell, it's a three ring circus in here today!" Ciel cried. "At least this one didn't barge in." He heard Sebastian speaking to someone softly in the doorway before leading them in.

"Ciel, this is Alan Humphries, an ADA from New York. He wants to go over your statement with you."

Ciel huffed. He didn't want to think about that again, but the desire of sticking it to Claude won out. "Okay."

Mr. Humphries was a very meek, soft-spoken little man. Ciel would normally have hated how timid he was, but in light of the current circumstances was oddly grateful for it. He efficiently reviewed the report Detective Knox ("Ronnie") had submitted, checked that Ciel didn't have anything to add, and thanked him for his time.

"Wait," Ciel called, not sure if Mr. Humphries was still seated or already on his way to the door.

"Yes?" the mousy man asked from his chair.

"How long will he get?"

Mr. Humphries hesitated. "Well, I can't really say." At Ciel's dirty look, he added. "I mean, it depends on how the trial goes, you know. We have a very strong case with an eyewitness. Along with your testimony and hospital photos it should be enough to put him away for at least five years."

" _Five years_!" Ciel cried, distraught. He could practically feel mild Mr. Humphries wincing at his outburst but didn't care.

"That is the most common sentence," he said calmly. "We're pushing for seven, but it may be as little as three."

" _Three_?" Ciel repeated, aghast. "He, he did all that to me and could get away with only three years? That's not fair!"

"Ciel," Mr. Humphries said sadly. "I am so, so sorry. I wish I could promise you more, but I'm trying to be realistic. I don't want to give you false hope."

Ciel nodded, jaw clenched. He preferred reality and was grateful Mr. Humphries wasn't sugar coating things. Hell, it was the same thing he was doing with his eyesight. If he got his hopes up, it would be twice as painful when things didn't work out. "I understand," he said woodenly, resigning himself to this as well.

Hope came from the most unexpected quarter. "What about blackmail, isn't that illegal?" Alois asked abruptly.

"Um, yes?" Mr. Humphries answered, confused.

"And money laundering?"

"Definitely, but where are you going with this?"

Ciel's eyebrows lifted and he turned to face Alois, mouth hanging open. "Alois, are you trying to say …"

"Yep! Listen up bitches, 'cause I'm gonna tell you a thing," Alois announced excitedly. Mr. Humphries gasped as Alois spoke about his time following Claude, jotting down more and more notes as he spoke.

"Well, well, well," he mused, reviewing everything. "This certainly isn't our jurisdiction, but I can make sure it finds its way to the proper authorities." He tucked everything neatly into his briefcase and turned to Ciel. "I promise we will do our best with our case in New York, but I think the real justice will be served by what your little friend here just shared." He placed a hand on Ciel's shoulder as he stood. "I'm leaving my card with Mr. Michaelis. Please feel free to call me if you want an update on the proceedings."

Ciel nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Humphries. You're a good man."

"Yeah, but you know who's better? This guy!" Alois announced excitedly, followed by a belated, "I'm totally pointing at myself, by the way."

Ciel snorted. "I have no doubt."

"Hey, I just sent Claude up Shit Creek without a paddle. This guy! Admit it, I'm awesome."

Ciel smiled for the first time since he got out of the hospital.

\---

Ciel's foot bobbed nervously. He was perched on an examination bench in his ophthalmologist's office, the paper of the exam table crinkling every time he moved. Today was the day his bandages came off for good and he was nervous. Despite having prepared himself for the worst and already thrown himself into training for a totally blind life, the was a tiny niggling piece of hope buried deep in his chest that kept flaring up and making him miserable. _Stop it_ , he told the tiny flame.

Sebastian squeezed his hand. "I'm here for you."

Too anxious for his usual snappy banter, Ciel just squeezed back. He had had examinations before and Sebastian changed his wrappings frequently, but the doctor had instructed him to let the eye rest, so he'd never tried to focus on anything. The only thing Ciel had seen the past ten days were flashes of light as he was examined for debris, infection, and scarring. Those brief flashes were better than the pitch black he had been expecting, so maybe that's where his hope sprung from.

The door creaked open and heeled feet entered. "Ciel," Doctor Durless said in greeting. "Are you ready?" Throat too tight to answer, he simply nodded. There was a _squeak-shuffle_ of a rolling chair scooting closer. "All right, sweetie, I'm touching your face." Cool fingers brushed the bandages, unwinding them. "Now open your eye," she instructed.

He blinked a few times, working the lids open. The room was dark and his heart sank.

"Give yourself a minute, hon, just keep blinking."

He did as she instructed, noticing faint colors and shapes. "It's really dark, but I think I can see a little."

"I've got the lights dimmed so we don't strain you. Just relax and try to focus. I'll bring them up more in a second." Ciel did as she said, squinting and blinking, thinking he must look like a moron. "Okay, it's about to get a little brighter." She raised the lights half way and he gasped as things started to come into focus.

" _Red_ ," he said emphatically. "I see red." He blinked, staring at it.

She laughed. "Very good. That would be me, honey. I'm wearing red." She flicked the lights on fully.

"Wow, you're wearing a lot of red," he noted, taking in her red dress, shoes, hair, and lipstick. He was awed. It was the most ordinary thing, really, not remarkable in the least, but after ten days of darkness, Ciel thought it was the most beautiful sight ever.

"Talk to me. Can you see how many fingers I'm holding up?"

"Two," he said immediately. They were a little fuzzy, but they were clear enough.

"Very good. There's an eye chart right across from you. How much of it can you read?"

"E. F, P. D, V, Z. Um, L ...." Ciel did his best, squinting hard until finally he had to admit defeat. He looked at the doctor nervously.

She had him repeat the same process on a small scale, holding a tiny printed page near his face, before she beamed at him. "Excellent! Ciel, you did so well!" She scribbled on some pages before telling him. "I'm not going to lie: you're currently very far from normal twenty-twenty, but I think you'll continue to improve as you heal." She scooted closer and examined him with all kinds of strange tools before announcing, "You're all done! Head to the front desk and tell them to set you up an appointment in two weeks." She paused at the door to call, "Things are looking up, kiddo!"

Ciel stared at the eye chart, mystified. He could see. He could _see!_ It was burry and fuzzy and nowhere near what he was used to, but he could _see!_

A gentle squeeze on his hand brought his attention to Sebastian. Ciel reached out and touched Sebastian's smiling face reverently, running his fingers over the defined cheekbones and strong jaw he had only ever expected to see again in his memory. Sebastian caught his hand, kissing it. "I love you."

Suddenly, Ciel felt like he could see clearer than he ever had in his entire life.

"I love you, too," he whispered back.

 

 

* * *

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has read and commented!


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